


Catch-22

by M14Mouse



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Humor, Male Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-05 09:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 33,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13384968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M14Mouse/pseuds/M14Mouse
Summary: Yu knew the game was rigged.  He didn’t know the players yet but he knew.  Now, he has a choice.  To be an observer of a rigged game or do something that could effect the entire outcome.  One thing for sure…he is no observer.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story doesn't have a beta reader. Read at your own risk!

If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes,  
and the quitting time.-Chinese Proverb

_Gambler…can you hear me? The shadows are coming from the left corridor and approaching fast._

_I can see them now, Oracle. The others?_

_They are safe. They are just ahead of you and heading toward the exit._

_Good._

_I swear…between you and Joker, you two are going to give me a heart attack. I don’t think that I can take it._

_Why? I have to keep you on your toes, Oracle._

_You are a terrible person, support buddy. Just terrible. I don’t know why I hang out with me._

_I know why. I don’t complaint about your anime._

_Hush you. But on that note, you are in trouble when you get back. Mona and Queen have some very choice words to say to you. I think that Skull is kind of excited. It is your turn to get yell at for once._

_I know._

It was funny. In the past, people have told him the opposite. They would say that he was such a good and polite young man. 

He snorted. 

As soon as he hit the corridor, he saw the shadows. Lucky for him, the shadows didn’t see him. He drew his cane from his side and attack. The longer that he fought along the thieves, the more that he wished for his sword back. He was quick to realize that this world didn’t see him that way. 

In this world, he was as a gambler. The Master of cards and dice. The reader of body language and non-verbal cues. He was always one step from a wonderful win or a terrible lose. 

He still doesn’t know how he felt about that. 

He took the metal knob of his cane and rammed into the shadow’s mask. It screamed for a moment before it crumbled into dust with the force of his blow. His hands slipped into his pocket and pulled out a pair of dice. He rolled it toward the next shadow. His eyes closed before the dice finished rolling. He knew the results could disastrous if he left them open. 

_What are you going to roll today? A 2…a 5…maybe you are looking for lucky number 12. You are hoping for lady luck to share her fortune, boy._

This has nothing to do with this luck. 

His persona’s voice laughed. 

_No, it isn’t. You think that I haven’t notice your tricks. You have learned well. You are truly living up to your name sake._

He heard the distant sound of thunder. His fingertips ached and twitched. He tasted smoke and ash in his month. 

Easy, Izanagi, easy. Soon. I will take off this mask and we can tear them apart. 

The sound of his dice exploding sounded like an agreeable answer from Izanagi to him. 

-One Year Ago- 

Yu was beginning to see a trend here. 

His journeys seemed begin and end with trains. He walked up the stairs from the train station to be greeted by rain. 

He did wish the weather was a little better. He watched the people open up their umbrellas or ran for cover. 

_You will pose as a college student. You will attend Aoyama Gakuin University in Shibuya. This will allow us to look these mental shutdowns without your presence to cause any alarm._

_Finally making me finish my schooling, Mitsuru-san?_

_No one that works for the Shadow Operatives without the proper education, Yu-san!_

He almost laughed at the expression on Mitsuru-san’s face. Like his parents and his uncle, she was very insisted on him finishing his education. 

_You still believe that these breakdowns have to do with the Apathy Syndrome?_

_It may. The effects sound the same but…._

_It has never happened like that before._

From their research, the mental shutdowns were different but there were common threads between the two. It was enough to bother everyone in the group. He wished that they had another chance to sit down before the reports of shadows attacks cause them to travel across the globe. 

Mitsuru-san was in Kisumu. 

Naoto was in London. 

Aigis-san was in the States. He wanted to say Washington DC but he thought that she was in New York now.

Some of the other members he wasn’t quite sure where they were at.

_Keep your head down and your eyes open._

_Report everything you see._

_Most of all, make sure that you are ready for anything._

He felt his blade pressed against his side. He heard sound of thunder in the air. He felt the familiar presence of Izanagi humming in his head. He sighed as he opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain. 

He was ready.

It was time to get to settled then…get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have been wanting to write this fic for awhile now because as much as I love Persona 5. (Still love 4 more...sorry.) Some things bother the crap out of me a lot. After my second play-through, I decided to hell with my other projects and start writing this one. I have a lot of surprises in store and I am excited. One thing, I will answer is this: Yu isn't using Izanagi as his mask. There are reasons...some will be answer in the next chapter and some much later. So, you can go ahead and try to figure it out but I am not telling...yet. Anyway, read and review if you wish.


	2. The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu knew the Velvet room and he knew that this wasn’t the Velvet room at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Blackjack is very scientific. There's always a right answer and a wrong answer. Do you take a card, increase your bet, bet big or bet small. There's absolutely a right and wrong answer.  
-Charlie Ergen

_God damn it, Gambler. I am going to have Dad feed you terrible curry! There will be terrible coffee to go along with it and…_

Yu wasn’t going to lie. He kind tuned her. He had done the same thing to Rise from time to time while in the tv world. Their constant yelling kind of drove him nuts and gave him a headache. Sometimes, he had to focus on the task at hand. Quickly, he turned into an empty hallway as he heard the footsteps behind him. He wasn’t built for speed like some of the others. He needed a place to blend in for a moment. 

_Yell at me later. Is there any games going on in any of the rooms?_

_Uhh…yes…Game of blackjack on the third table to your right once you get to the main hall. What are you doing?_

Once he made it to the main hall, his eyes darted around for a moment then settled on a jacket sitting on a stool near one of the bars. That should work. He stopped running and turned his pace into a brisk walk. First thing, he learned…walk, don’t run. With ease, he took off his hat, glasses, and jacket. He switched out the brown jacket on the chair with his gear. He moved toward the blackjack table that Oracle was telling him about. 

He slipped into a chair next to older gentleman. He glanced over at the players at the table. It told him all he needed to know. These players have been playing for a long time. New players or “tourists” are often excitable bunch. From his persona’s point of view, they can help or hind a good game. He placed his chips on the table and rose his hand to indicate for him to be dealt into the game. 

The dealer passed out cards. 

He picked up cards from the table and did a quick glance. This wasn’t really important. He was paying more attention to the police and guards running around. Few of them brushed pass the table. There were some guards by the entrance but they were no longer covering it like locusts…since they caught Joker. They were probably searching some other areas for any other thieves. God, he hoped that their plan worked. 

Not a bad hand. 

18.

He shook his head no when the dealer asked him if he wanted another card. 

_Not going to press your luck?_

There is no point. This wasn’t the main objective here. 

_You lose hand to win a hand._

He heard the men groaned slightly as they lost. He glanced at the dealer’s hand. 

A 20. 

Of course, the dealer was going to win. He grinned a little at the dealer and gentlemen at the table as he got up. He went walked back to his stuff and slipped off the borrowed jacket. He slipped back his attire and walked toward the one of the side exits. No doubly covered as well but he had a plan for that too. 

_Smooth moves, man._

He grinned a little at Skull’s voice. 

_He does have better moves than you when it comes to well….everything._

_HEY!_

He smiled. Those two…

He found the exit that he wanted to use. Of course, there was a guard standing there. He pulled out his deck of cards out of his pants pocket. 

He shuffled the cards in his hands and picked the first card on top. He heard his persona’s laughter echo through his head. 

It would do. 

He slipped the other cards back into his pocket. He got up from behind his hiding spot just around the corner. With confidence, he approached the shadow guard. The guard turned toward him. 

“Huh?” The guard said as it finally spotted him. 

He mumbled something softly the spell under his breath. Then he reached over and touch the card on the shadow’s forehead. The effect was instantaneous. 

He could see the confused expression on the shadow’s face. 

“SIR…I saw them! The thieves…they were running that way,” He said in a false panic as he pointed in the opposite direction from where he was going. 

“Right…Right…thank you….” The confused guard said as he ran the direction that he pointed. 

He waited for a moment to approach to the door. He wanted to make sure that the guard was gone. He walked toward the exit and opened the door. He walked out into the main path near the main entrance. Police and shadows were running pass him. They pay no attention to him. Finally after he was far enough away, he glanced over the shoulder. It was still a mess with police and guards running about the entrance. People were huddling around the exit. He shook his head for a moment. Even shadows wanted to see the action. He turned away and made his way toward the meeting point. 

Then he heard the sound of a clicking gun behind him. He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder. 

“Crow.” 

“Gambler”

-P4P5P4-

He looked around at his new apartment. He set his bags near the door and started to look around. 

It was nice. Although, it screamed Mitsuru-san’s design choices. Especially partnering with Mitsuru-san for several missions, he knew her tastes. The floors were covered in black title. The kitchen counters were made of white granite couple with brand new appliances. The walls were white and so was the furniture. He did like the windows…he had a view of the entire city. 

He shrugged his shoulders. It didn’t really matter. He would make it home soon enough. 

He would need to shop for some food because it is no telling what she brought. Much like Chie and Rise, she couldn’t really cook. It was always an interesting experience when they decided that it will be a good idea to cook a meal for their parties and meet-ups. 

It always ended….badly. His stomach twitched at the memory. 

Well…on the positive, no one died. 

Oh, he also needed to call his friends and his uncle and cousin to tell that he made it. They will probably plan ways to hang out since he will be home for a while. He looked forward that. 

He needed to explore his apartment and the area around it. 

He yawned. 

First off, he was going to take a nap. Then he going down to the convenience store to pick up some dinner or at least some snacks. He walked over to the sofa and took a seat. He yawned again as he settled into the sofa. 

He stared at buildings through the windows as he drifted off to sleep. 

He felt a jolt in his body that woke him up. 

He blinked awake and frowned. There was a fog in the air. He sat up to realize that he was on a bed now instead of a sofa. He looked around to see a small light in distance. Beside that, there was no definition to the room. It was endless with darkness and fog. 

Instantly, his hand went for his sword. He cursed himself when he found that it wasn’t there. He felt Izanagi close at hand. That gave him some sort of comfort because this place wasn’t the Velvet Room at all. 

He heard a chuckle in the air. He eyed the small light in front of him. Slowly, he got up from the bed and walked toward it. Slowly, the fog began to disappear to reveal Igor sitting at the desk with a desk’s light. He could make out some papers near the corner. There was a chair in front of him and desk. 

“Welcome, have a seat.” Igor said. 

His head titled slightly. 

“No thank you,” He said as he looked around the “room.” It wasn’t endless as he thought. Were those bars that he could see? 

His response seemed to caught Igor off guard. 

“It would be proper to have a conversation sitting down.” 

“I would but you aren’t Igor.”

The fake Igor blinked then laughed. 

“Oh, how could you tell?” 

“For one…you don’t sound like him at all. Second, we never met anywhere but my Velvet Room. Third, he always has an attendant around. Fourth, his nose is bigger,” He said with a shrug. 

“May…may…you are a clever one. Igor did well to choose you.” The fake Igor said. 

“So, who are you?” 

“I cannot reveal that information. You see…Igor and I have decided to play a game. All of the new players haven’t arrived yet but soon.” 

That sounded like Igor. That is why they had to stop playing poker and blackjack. He couldn’t stop playing his games. 

“If I am not a player, why bring me here?” 

“I feel that your presence might disrupt our little game. You do have the power to change events at all.” 

His eyes narrowed. He felt Izanagi close at hand. One crashed of a card…he would be here. 

The fake Igor rose his hand. 

“Be at ease. I do not wish to harm you. In fact, I find you…interesting. That is why I want to play a game with you.”

“What is it?” He asked. 

“The game is simple. There have been oncoming events that have caught your attention. Of course, I can imagine that you want to find the real Igor. So, I will allow you to stay and be an observer of these events. Maybe one side will find him…maybe not. That is one choice,” Fake Igor said. 

“The other?” 

“Or I will allow you to become a player. You are bound by the rules that I have set for them as well. If…and when you met those other players, you can’t speak of the events that happened here.”

“There is a catch.” 

The fake chuckled. Oh, yes, there was a catch. 

“Those are the general rules of our little game. We will discuss more if you agree to play.” 

“If I refused, what happens?” 

“Then I will remove you from the playing field.” 

Izanagi groaned. In the distance, he heard the sound of thunder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw lightening. The false Igor flinched a little.

“Of course, no harm will come to you if you do say no,” The fake said with a nod. 

“Give me 24 hours to think it over.” 

“Very well. I hope that we come to an agreement. Enjoy the rest of your nap.” 

The false Igor’s laughter echo through his head as his eyes snapped open. 

End of the Rules

Next Chapter: The Field of Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow...thank you guys for the support! It has been wonderful. First, I am sorry that it took so long. Chapter 4 was link to Chapter 2 and I wanted to get both chapters right. Although, I have a feeling that I am going to continue mess with chapter 4 until I post it. Second, I am looking for a beta reader. I am going to need someone bounce ideas off of and edit some of my tenses. The little hamster of a muse wants to go in a million different directions and I really need to get a handle on this before it drives me nuts. But there are requirements. 
> 
> 1) Leave your ship at the door. I had trouble in the past with this. If you can't, then this story isn't for you.  
> 2) Time. I am looking for 1 to 2 week turn around per a chapter. I am not looking for months later then get a response (again, past experience made this normal not the exception and one of the main reasons that I don't use beta readers). I don't think that is fair to me or my readers.  
> 3) PM me if you are interested.  
> 4) Yu's new persona is fun to write and I already have a nickname for him in my head.  
> 5) Again thank you for your support and read and review if you wish.


	3. The Field of Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu has a gun to his back and one chance.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.  
-Seneca

Yu heard the sound of a clicking gun behind him. He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder. 

“Crow.” 

“Gambler”

He hummed softly as he turned back around. His hand twisted around the knob of his cane and take in the landscape before him. It was a strange mix of reality and metaverse. It was strange. It was pretty in its own way. The lights from casino offered a nice contract from the surrounding gray buildings. 

He almost laughed. Yusuke would enjoy his artistic point of view. 

“I must say…your escape was quite daring…not as much as Joker’s but it still was impressive.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Of course, not much of escape since I caught you,” Akechi said. 

“Who said that I was caught?” 

Akechi laughed. 

“Have a card up your sleeve?” 

“Possible.” 

Akechi sighed softly. 

“I have no idea if you are telling the truth or not. You are a tricky one to read. Truly your codename. It is almost pity that I have to kill you. Much like Joker, I like you. I have come to value our friendship. Because of that friendship, I feel that I should be the one to pull the trigger.”

“And yet…you haven’t.” 

“I am trying to figure what you are planning. You remain behind on purpose. I just don’t get you. I don’t understand why.”

He heard the frustration in Akechi’s voice. 

It really isn’t that hard to understand. He is a college student and a member of an organization that fights shadows. He goes inside tvs on a regular basics. He fought in some life or death tournaments with other persona users and let’s not forget the dancing incident. 

In fact, let’s not talk about the dancing incident. None of his personas has let him forget it either. 

Despite that, a lot of good have come from those events. The friends that he had made, the places…the very strange places that he has been but…he lost normal a long time. 

“Actually, I get that a lot.” 

“…And that annoys me a great deal.”

“And I get that a lot too.” 

“You…I….It is almost funny. I have a gun to back of your head. In few moments, I am going to pull the trigger and end your life. We are talking over the most insignificant things.”

“Just like old times, huh?” 

“I supposed so,” Akechi said with a snort. 

“If you wish but I think that it would be a waste of a bullet. I touched one of my cards before I exit the building. Just to be safe. You can do it if it makes you feel better but it would draw some unwanted attention. So, I was thinking of an offer.”

Akechi laughed. 

“What could you possible offer me?!” 

“I can offer you a way to take down Masayoshi Shido.” 

-P4P5P4-

He stared at the window and watched the sun set. 

He should make some phone calls. He should call and warn the others. He wasn’t sure what happened if he did try to call. He was dealing a force that was able to overtake Igor and his attendant. His thoughts turned to Margaret or Elizabeth. She might know what to do but he had no idea where the sisters were. 

Although, he did catch the fake Igor flinching at the sound of thunder. There was fear there. He could feel his personas’ voices rage in his head. He closed his eyes. 

“Calm down.” 

He could feel them settle for a moment before Izanagi spoke. 

_You are thinking of taking his offer._

“He has rigged the game in his favor, Izanagi. He took Igor out. He fears us but I don’t know if it is by reputation or he is afraid of thunder and lightning. I don’t think for a moment that he is going to let me or any of his players walk out of this.” 

_You are correct. You believe that you prevent this?_

“I can try.” 

_Always a fool._

He heard the fondness in Izanagi’s voice and he shook his head. 

“He has his terms. I will introduce mine.”

_That is a gamble._

“It is one that I have to take.” 

He sighed. 

“I need to think this over so more and get some food.” He said as he grabbed the keys from the counter. He patted his pants to make sure that his wallet Once he made sure that the wallet was safe in his pocket. He opened the door and walked into the hallway. He locked the door behind him and headed toward the stairs. 

Few minutes later, he was out of his building and looking around at his new surroundings. 

It was busy as he remembered. He turned around then ran into some hard. 

He stumbled back for a moment then regain his step.

“My apologies!” A male voice said.

He blinked for a moment and shook his head. 

“No, it is mine. Sorry. I should have been paying attention. It has been awhile since I have been to Tokyo. I forgot how busy it is.” He said. 

He looked over the stranger that he nearly knocked over. He wore a light brown jacket, pants, and tie. He reminded him of a lawyer….much younger lawyer. He couldn’t be older than a high schooler. 

He leaned over and picked up the stranger’s briefcase. He handed it back to him. 

“Thank you. New here?” The stranger asked as he took his briefcase back. 

“Going to school in the spring. I thought that I would come a little earlier to give myself time to adjust to the big city again.” 

“Really? It must be quite a shock to be back.” 

“A little. Just going some snacks for tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to find a grocery store.”

The stranger’s face brightened up. 

“The store around corner has an excellent selection of snacks and meals. I have visited quite often.” 

He grinned a little.

“Not much of a cook?” 

“I must say that I am…not a very good cook.” 

“After I get settled, you can come over for dinner.” 

The stranger blinked in confusion. 

“You would invite a complete stranger to dinner?!” 

He eyed the stranger and shrugged. 

“Of course.” 

“You are quite strange.”

“I get that a lot.” 

The stranger laughed and offered his hand. He reached out and shook it. 

“My name is Goro Akechi.” 

“Yu Narukami.” 

End of The Field of Play

Next Chapter: The Stakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am very very sorry that it took me so long to update. Everything has been so crazy. I still don't have a beta. So, go ahead and offer away. I am seriously debating about what name to go by for Joker (That is the reason why Yu hasn't been using his name) What are you guys doing about it? Which one you prefer? 
> 
> Fun Hint 1: Yu's new persona is a god.
> 
> Read and Review if you wish.


	4. The Stakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stakes are set. Somehow it still feels like a noose around his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own them. This story has no beta.

A gambler plays even when the odds are immutable and against him.  
-Roger “Lou Krieger” Lubin

“I can offer you a way to take down Masayoshi Shido.” 

He heard a grasp. 

_Leave now, Oracle._

_But…I don’t want to leave you…_

_NOW!_

He felt her presence leave his mind. He will apologize to Futaba-chan later but right now, he needed to focus. He didn’t know what response that he would get out of Akechi with his words. Right now, there was silence expect the distant sound of police sirens and people. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of laughter. 

“What give your impression that I want to do anything like that?!” Akechi said. 

“You were trying too hard to hide the fact that you hate the man especially when we talked about politics.” 

_Very good, boy. Very good._

“Hating a man doesn’t mean that I would want to take him down.” 

There it was again. The bitterness and angry in Akechi’s voice that he tried to hide so much. 

“True. The same men guarding him during his speeches were also at your apartment. Your tone was pleasant but if looks could kill. I would guess that they would have been dead,” He said with a hum. 

“Very impressive. I didn’t expect you to put two and two together. Does anyone else know?” 

“No. I wanted to confirm first. Stop you before you do something over dramatic.” 

“May I ask what does that mean?” 

“I speak from experience when I say angry and rage make people do stupid things. You would kill him after he was elected. When he has a taste of his goal, you wanted to be the one who take it away. Mostly, that will likely get you killed.” 

His persona laughed. It sounded like the rumbling of the earth in his head. 

“It will not get me killed, my friend. I know him too well for that. You are correct. I plan to kill him slowly with all of the pain and suffering that he put me through but he will know. I will be the last face that he sees when he has left this land.” 

Akechi tried to hide it before but now….

He heard the rage, the anger, hatred in Akechi’s voice but he wondered if it was sorely directed at Shinto…or himself. 

_That one is slightly unhinged._

Slightly?

 _Just be careful._

Atropos sounded worried which was strange to him. 

_Time to fold this hand, boy. That one isn’t playing with a full deck._

Maybe. 

“Why do you want to kill him so bad?” 

“Because that is piece of shit is my father.” 

-P4P5P4-

He felt himself drifted off to sleep. He felt the familiar pull of the Velvet Room. Instead of waking up standing, he woke up in a cot. He got up from the cot and looked around. It took him a moment to realize that this room was a prison. 

“I must say that your successor has an interesting view of the world,” The fake Igor said from the center of the room. He was sitting at the same desk as before. 

He got up from the cot and walked into the center of the room. He looked around at all of the different cells then his glance settled onto the fake Igor. 

Briefly, he wondered how much that it was this fake or his successor’s view. 

The fake chuckled. 

“Have a seat.” The fake said with the wave of his hand. 

He walked over and took a seat across from him. 

“Have you thought about my offer?” 

“I have but there will be terms.” 

“Speak”

“My friends and family will not be harm in anyway.” 

“Unless you break one of the rules.” 

“Which is?” 

“You will not speak of me to the other players.” 

He nodded his head slightly but his eyes trained on Igor. 

“Next, you must not call your attendant.” 

He frowned for a moment. Briefly, he wondered where the current attendant was. He knew Elizabeth and Margaret were searching for a way to free Minato. Theo…he wasn’t quite sure where he was. 

He knew that they were powerful in their own right. 

That would explain why he doesn’t want the other attendants around or come running. If they would find out, this fake would probably have a lot of trouble on his hands. 

“What if they come in their own accord? Margaret and I talk from time to time.” 

Margaret and Elizabeth showed up at a little café in London when he was visiting Naoto. For an hour, he sat through their heated conversation about tea cup puppies verse tea cup piglets. 

It was…. enlightening. 

“Since you didn’t summon them, then it isn’t breaking the rules.”

“Where is your attendant by the way? Have you done something to him or her?” He said coldly. 

“I am in need of them. No permanent harm has come to them.” 

His eyes narrowed slightly. 

_He did something._

“Very well. Next.” 

“Next, your personas are bounded during the duration of the game.” 

He felt the cold rage from King Frost. He heard the distant sound of metal against the metal. He wasn’t quite sure which one of his personas that was. None of them sound very happy at the moment. 

_Calm down._

Lucifer’s voice cut through their voices. 

“Why?” 

“They don’t fit into our little game. My players will notice something off if you ever join the game.” 

It only took a moment to make his decision. 

“No.” 

“Pardon?” 

“I said no.” 

The fake Igor blinked as if he didn’t expect that. 

“By chaining up my personas, you defeat the purpose of your game. My friends would know something is wrong if suddenly I couldn’t use my personas. I will not leave the tv world unprotected.” 

“While I hold no interest in that world, you make a very excellent point.” The fake said.

The fake Igor rubbed his chin as he hummed. The more that he was in the presence of this fake, the more he realized that he did little to hide that he wasn’t Igor at all. 

No one would actually know that expect him and a select few. 

Then the fake smiled. Igor’s smile always looked creepy to him but this fake….sinister came to mind.

“Then you must bear a mask of my choice. You can only use that mask during the duration of our game. It should be interesting to see how or if you can adapt. Since you are so concern about the tv world, our game won’t cross into that realm. So, you are free to use your personas there.” 

“Mask?” He said with curiosity. 

“Excuse me. Persona. Of course, you will have to figure everything out. Just like before. Most of all, can you even control a persona who wasn’t born from your own soul even with your powers? Of course, no harm will come to you through this persona. Can’t have you break in a middle of the game. I see it will be a delightful challenge. What do you say? Do we have a deal?” 

_He bound you in chains that he doesn’t think that you can escape. He might as well have bounded us._

He knew. He also knew this fake wrapped a noose around his neck. Say no again. A great deal of people could be in trouble or worse…. Say yes. His powers were limited and there was this unknown persona to deal with. 

He knew. 

He knew his personas because they were a part of him in little ways. This unknown persona could be a parasite or a spy for this false Igor. 

This was a dangerous risk to everyone around him. 

Could he risk it? Was it worth the risk? 

He felt something soft brush against his mind. He heard the gentle voice of Isis whisper in his ear. 

_People bring about their own undoing through their tongues. Take his bargain. We will protect you. We will soon rip out his tongue and he will regret making a bargain with us._

“Yes, we have a deal.” 

End of the Stakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: just got more interesting, didn't it? Anyway, I am totally glad that you guys are enjoying it. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys make me feel so much better about jumping into this rabbit hole. To answer a reviewer's comment, I wasn't sure about the past/present in the fic at first. In fact, I only plan to use for first three chapters. Well...you know about plans. Still looking for a beta and still moving alone without one. Anyway, read and review if you wish. 
> 
> Fun Author's Fact: First play though of Persona 5, I pinned Akechi as the killer from the beginning which is weird since I didn't catch it in Persona 3 or 4.


	5. The Buff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu stared at the case files littering his table. He was missing something. There was some connection and something else…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter hasn't been beta and all of mistakes are mine.

If a magician makes a mistake, it's sometimes forgiven by the audience. If a gambling cheat makes a mistake, they will almost certainly lose their lives - and probably in a horrible manner. --Steve Truglia

“Why do you want to kill him so bad?” 

“Because that is piece of shit is my father. He abandoned us. I was left alone. I moved from place to place but you know how that is it, my friend. You’re the same as much expected your cage was covered in gold.”

The hatred bleed into Akechi’s voice. 

_You and Naoto expected as much._

He forced himself not to nod at Izanagi’s comment. Their theory was correct. He wished that it wasn’t. 

“Does he know?” 

“Of course not. The fool blinded by his power and puppets. It is humorous to see that he thought of me as one of his puppets. I would have cut his strings anytime. His fall will be glorious” 

_That boy is smart but a fool. He lost in his own game that he isn’t paying attention to the other players at the table._

He is right in a way. He ignored some players in favor of others. He discounted them as useless or not worth his time. Dangerous mind set to have in a game like this. He may appear not to know Akechi’s plan. From his research, Shinto is a smart man. He probably did know his plan or some vague hint of it. He learned the art of keeping his hands clean by letting others get their hands dirty. Akechi was willing to do it again and again to achieve his goal to point of being blinded by everything. 

_Foolish and dangerous._

“Are you sure?” 

Akechi laughed. 

“Of course, I do. I know that he doesn’t have any knowledge of what coming for him.” 

“That is strange. That wasn’t the impression that I got from his palace.” 

_You’re bluffing._

His persona sounded…shock. His job was to convicted Akechi. Joker’s job was convicted Sai-san. He was going to pull every card up his sleeve out if he needed too. 

“You’re lying.” 

“You and I know that he has a palace. It is very detailed…more so than any other palaces that we have even been in. His cognitive version of you is….interesting.” 

Akechi didn’t reply. 

Silence filled the air between them. He could almost hear Akechi thinking over what he said.

“What is he like?” 

“He was dressed in the same outfit on the first day that I met you. It was strange in a way. You know how all of the shadows we face were extreme version of that person. Shinto’s cognitive version of you was almost normal. Beside, trying to kill me.” 

More silence. 

“Interesting. You’re ahead of the others in this little game and yet you didn’t tell them. Why?” 

“I have my own mission outside of the Phantoms. My goal was never to join them. Aid here and there. No more but you know how best laid plans turn out.”

Partly, that was true. In the beginning, his purpose was to never join them since their mission and his were separate. At first, they didn’t seem related but he wanted to be there for them. A persona user that understood what they were going through. To be a support system, when their own was lacking. 

“Mine usually turn out flawless until you and the others came along. What is your mission?” Akechi spoke again. 

“I have been through this before.” 

“Cognitive world just only came in existed two years ago….there was no way.” 

“Cognitive world may be new but shadows aren’t.”

“Explain. Who are you?” 

“I am a member of Shadow Operative and our sole purpose to hunt shadows that are a threat to mankind.” 

-P4P5P4- 

He stared at the piles of folders and papers on the desk before him. His laptop sat next to the pile. Mitsuru-san send over everything that she had on the cases. 

It gave him time to think over something else beside his encounter with the fake Igor. He rubbed his chest slightly. He still felt them….but it was different. 

He shook his head and looked down at cases before him. 

There was a lot of information to go through but first, he had to make a phone call. He promised to call when he started to look over the cases. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contracts. He hit the familiar number then put on speaker. 

He set the phone beside him and let it ring. 

Few moments later, he heard a familiar voice. 

“Hello?” 

“Hello. Did I wake you, Naoto?”

“No…no…Yu….I…”

“You were taking a nap on the paperwork again,” He said in amusement. 

“NO!” 

She grumbled softly into the phone. He didn’t say anything for a moment. 

“It was the laptop.” 

He laughed softly. 

“Is everything okay?” 

He heard her sigh over the phone. 

“We were wrong about correlating with Hebrew calendar.”

“It was good idea at the time.”

“Yes, but one of the attacks happen on a day with no link to any calendar.”

“Expect maybe a personal one?” 

“Perhaps but with a city fill of millions of people daily….” 

He nodded.

“There is always a connection.” 

“Truly.” 

It was something that they learned from their adventures in the tv world and other worlds. No matter random anything may appear to be…there is always a connection. 

“Anyway, how is your case?” 

“I just started to looking it over but I think that it is politic in nature.” 

“Oh? I remember looking it over briefly. How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Some of them have been local politicians and members of the DIET had psychotic break.”

“But there have been other attacks that haven’t been political in nature especially in the beginning.” 

“True but…just call it a gut feeling.” 

“Stay with that feeling especially the more you go through the case.”

“Words of wise, Naoto?” 

“Words of advice.”

_Ones that you need to heed._

His back straightened at the voice. 

This voice wasn’t one of his personas. 

End of The Bluff

Next Chapter: The Gamble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, Yu is totally bluffing about Shinto's palace and totally won a cookie for being right. One of the aspects that I took for the anime was his ability to totally bs people with a straight face. And I brought one of the biggest things that drove me nuts in P5 was where was Naoto? So, I explained where she was and what she is doing in the coming chapters. Don't worry...more of the P4 cast coming soon! Second, I want to thank everyone for their reviews. You guys are totally awesome with your support. Thank you from this author's happy little heart. As always...read and review if you wish. 
> 
> Fun Author's fact: Hermes was originally going to be Yu's new persona but it was too much in relation to Mona's final persona. So, I decided against that.


	6. The Gamble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi put Yu’s knowledge of shadows to the test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

You don’t gamble to win. You gamble so you can gamble the next day.  
-Bert Ambrose

“Explain. Who are you?” 

“I am a member of Shadow Operative and our sole purpose to hunt shadows that are a threat to mankind.” 

There was a moment of silence then he heard a soft hum. 

“That actually made quite a bit of sense. From the conversations I had with the others, your knowledge on shadows is intensive. I thought that it was because the conversations that you had with those shadows.” 

“Honestly, I just played cards with them. They seem lonely and I had time to kill when the others explode Mementoes. It was fun and learn some interesting tidbits of information.” 

“Lonely?” 

“Shadows may be from a sea of souls but they still do have feelings. They feel happiness, angry, and yes…a little lonely. So, I talk to them.”

“I would never imagine that I would have a conversation about shadows and their feelings. They are merely good for two things. One, to make you stronger and two, to make excellent tools.” 

He heard the mocking tone in his voice. He remained him at Adachi especially toward the end. It made his heart ache. 

It was just like before….but in a way, he was right. They can be tools. After all, they use them to navigate the worlds beyond their own. Their personas were once shadows…voices inside their head…what they should be doing…what they should have said…but he never thought of them like that. He thought of them as a part of him. 

_Oh, don’t listen to him, sugar. He is just jealous that you are so awesome. No one understand us and shadows better than you._

He grinned slightly at High Pixie. In his head, he can clearly see her blowing a kiss at him.

_Suck up._

Be nice you two. 

“Then we are going to have to disagree.” 

“I suppose that we will. I am curious.” 

“About?” 

“Beside the ability to wield multiple personas, Joker’s ability has allowed him to gather people to him. Strength in numbers. A moth to a flame if you will. Yours? You have an ability to smooth the savage beast.”

He frowned slightly. He never thought of talking to shadows as some sort of talent. They were just interesting to talk to. 

_Did he just call us beasts?_

Genbu didn’t sound very pleased at all. 

_Honestly…how long do you plan to let him ramble? Talk. Talk._

_Enough._

Izanagi’s voice cut through the others. 

“I am curious to see it put to the test.” 

Quickly, he turned around to see Akechi make a Norn appear. His hand gripped his cane and watched Akechi do something that he never seen before. He felt it. It was a dark and twisted energy that he had no words for. Akechi poured some dark energy into the shadow. He watched as the shadow’s once golden skin turned black. 

“My little talent is simple. I can turn any shadow psychotic…sometimes, I even break them. Very opposite of scale of your little talent. I am curious on who ability will win. Let’s see if you can save this shadow, shall we?” 

He took out his deck of cards as the shadow screamed toward him. 

-P4P5P4-

He picked up the screaming tea kettle from the stove and set it on the serving tray. He picked up the tray and headed toward the table in the living room. He set down the tray and picked up the oven mitt. He wrapped the cloth around the tea kettle and poured the hot tea into their respected cups. He took a seat on the opposite seat from Akechi and took a cup after adding some sugar cubes. Akechi smiled at him as he added some honey and sugar to his cup. 

“I want to thank you for the meal. It was quite wonderful.” 

“Better than the convenience store?” 

“I’m afraid that you are never going to let me forget that, are you?” 

“No.” 

Akechi laughed. He grinned slightly. 

“So, a detective and student, huh? Impressive. Kind of remind me of Naoto.” 

Akechi blinked for a moment. 

“You know Naoto Shirogane?” 

His grin grew bigger and nodded. He wasn’t too surprised by Akechi’s almost fanboy reaction. A lot of people look up to Naoto. It was kind of funny and made him so proud. Although, it does make Naoto blush every time that he brought another story of meeting a fan. 

“Yes, she is a friend of mine,” He said. 

“I heard that she was in London.” 

“She is. The cases are interesting…the weather…not so much.” 

“Is it as that bad?” 

“Yes. She can’t wait to come for the holidays just to get away from the weather. When I lived there, it was nice for about one or two days out of the month. The rest were rainy.” 

“Oh, how long did you live there?” 

“Three months then I moved to New York…no Chicago after that.” 

“Moved around a lot?” 

“Quite a bit.” 

“It must have been distorting to move from place to place.”

“It is. How often did you move?” 

He saw something flash across Akechi’s face. It was a blink and he missed it. 

“Most people said oh, how excited to see this and that place. No one asked on how confusing or lost it is to be in a new place. Learning a new set of…everything”

“No one does….do they? To answer the question, once or twice a year.”

Silence between them as they slipped the tea. 

“This isn’t how I foresaw this night going,” Akechi said. 

“Neither did I,” He said. 

He thought it over for a moment. 

“Who do you think has the best chance of getting elected?” 

End of The Gamble

Next Chapter: The Draw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I re-edit a little bit of chapter 1 and chapter 2. I think that they flow a lot better and fixed names that I misspelled. I am so glad that you guys are awesome for pointing out stuff to me. Thank you, Jake for pointing out that I was misspelling Shido name. I will go back and correct when I hit chapter 3 and 4 for edits in the next two weeks. I love posting on Ao3 but editing stuff on their system is hard. To answer one of my reviewer’s question, Hermes was my first impulse choice because I was obsessive with Greek mythology when I was a kid. Then there was Persona 3 and Mona’s persona. So, I dropped it. In honesty, the more that I researched, the more that found that the persona didn’t fit Yu at all. 
> 
> Fun Author Fact: Yu’s outfit is based on the gamblers of old with their fancy suits and hats. 
> 
> Read and Review if you wish.


	7. The Draw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground. The sky above them open up with a bolt of lightning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is currently un-beta.

Remember this: The house doesn’t beat the player. It just gives him the opportunity to beat himself.- Nicholas Dandolos

“My little talent is simple. I can turn any shadow psychotic…sometimes, I even break them. Very opposite of scale of your little talent. I am curious on who ability will win. Let’s see if you can save this shadow, shall we?” 

He took out his deck of cards as the shadow screamed toward him. 

He almost started cursing to himself because he knew Norn had no weaknesses. He could work through his deck and hope for a miracle punch card but that would such a waste of time and resources. 

Right now, luck wasn’t on his side. He drew the first five cards of his deck and did a quick look. This hand wasn’t terrible. Quickly, he formulated a plan with his cards he did have in his hand, it can imagine that he wouldn’t have a change to draw many cards while Akechi around. 

He jumped out of the way as Norn’s attack. 

He couldn’t just crush the card between his fingers like before. To use them, he dropped them to the ground. Discarding these cards come with a cost, sometimes, they returned to his deck and sometimes, they disappeared entirely. So, he had to choose carefully. The first five cards he draws from the deck could be blanks, low level spell cards….or devastating attacks like Inferno and Diamond Dust. This tend to drive the other personas crazy. They liked to point out that too much chance that he could get hurt. He pointed out that there is always a chance of him getting hurt. 

He discarded two of his cards and allow them to drop the ground. The first card hit the ground in a flash of bright light. He heard the Norn’s shriek in surprise and stopped her in her tracks. Few seconds later, the second card drop to the ground and the world was covered in ice. The veins of ice rose from the ground and piece into the Norn. It struggled to break free of the ice. 

This was his chance. 

_You aren’t foolish enough to save this one!_

_Of course, he is going to try to save it. That is what he does!_

He paid a little attention to the two arguing personas. He didn’t have time for it. He was careful to cross the icy ground and touch the Norn’s forehead. He felt it…saw it….heard it. 

Flashes of distant images like someone put them in old VCR. 

He heard the sound of children laughing and playing. 

He heard a soft voice of woman. He couldn’t understand what she was saying but it was almost a whisper into his ear. 

He saw a little girl in a bright blue dress running to a swing set. 

Then the visions turned dark, he heard screaming and gun shots. 

He saw bodies and blood…so much blood. 

He didn’t reject what he saw…he took it in. 

He removed his hand from Norn’s head. 

He saw the madness in its eyes….then he saw something else. Flash of something that made his heart ache. Norn moved away for him. He thought for a moment that she was able to attack again. He watched as one of Norn’s hands broke off branch of ice from the ground and stabbed herself in the chest. 

He turned away to she screamed into a black smoke. 

“Well…how interesting….I believe that this is a draw.” 

He didn’t look at Akechi. He refused too. Instead he picked up a card off the ground, he flipped over for a moment. 

His luck has seemed to change. 

“I don’t think so,” He said as he dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground. 

The sky above them with a bolt of lightning. 

-P4P5P4- 

_So, I met the new guy._

He looked up from the map on his phone to listen to High Pixie. 

Oh?

_He is old and grumpy!_

He tried not to laugh at High Pixie’s statement. She said the same thing about Lucifer and some of the others. So, he tried not take that statement at face value. 

_But I like him. We talked about the woods. We need to visit home again. I miss them._

After we are settled, we go back and visit the others. 

_Good._

_I am not old, girl._

High Pixie giggled at the unfamiliar voice. 

_Yes, you are. Old and grumpy._

He tilted his head as he listened to the two of them arguing. His voice reminded him of the earthquake like it slightly rumbled in his ear. 

_I bet that you aren’t going to keep up with us. Does Isis need to make you a cane?_

_I will do no such thing for this creature. He isn’t one of us, High Pixie. He is an outsider. Best ignore him until this game is over._

_That is mean, Isis. He is one of us!_

_Be at ease, woman. I mean you no harm._

_Speak to me again and I will rip out your lying tongue. I will…._

Isis. 

He knew Isis wanted to protect him. He was thankful for it but he liked to get to know him on his own terms. He couldn’t make out the persona in his head. It was too dark but he could easily make out High Pixie, Isis and Izanagi. Izanagi wasn’t near Iris or High Pixie but he was there….watching like he was sitting on a perch. Just waiting to act if he needed too. 

Thank you. 

He felt Isis touch his cheek. 

_Foolish child._

He grinned slightly as she moved away into another part of his mind. There was a moment of silence. Maybe, they are done. He moved his attention back to his phone. 

There has to be a good Ramen shop around here. 

_Well…Isis is out about making you a cane, old man. Maybe I should get…_

_Girl…I swear that I have the wolves come after you._

_Oooh….how delightful. I haven’t played with a pack of wolves in a long time. You promise?_

He felt the persona grumble under his breathe. 

_Don’t make a promise that you can’t keep, girl._

Now, he needed to step in. Normally, he let his personas work out their own issues but this was different. 

_High Pixie…why don’t you go and see Pyro Jack is doing? I heard that he is going to make some s’mores._

He heard a high pitch squeak then he felt her presence gone. High Pixie loved her chocolate. 

_I wasn’t actually going to hurt the girl. She is kin after all._

I know. It wasn’t her that I was worried about. 

There is a moment of pause. 

_You are a strange lad._

So, I have been told. So, do you have a name? Or do I call you old man too? 

There was a long silence between them. 

That is okay. It took us a month to get Abbadon to tell us his name. So, take your time. 

He heard a grumble then a silence. Hmm….he seemed to have left. In the back of his mind, he heard a soft giggle. 

_You didn’t tell him that it took us a month to figure out what he was saying!_

Be good, Leanan Sidhe. 

For you, sweetie? Always!

He shook his head and look down at his map again. 

Left…definitely left. 

End of the Draw

Next Chapter: The Players

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, Yu met his new persona. I love personas and Yu’s interactions. They are just plain fun to write. Has anyone else saw the preview for Persona 5 Dance all night? I am probably will make it a side story with Yu being all composed on the outside and on inside, laughing his butt off. Second off, thank you for the wonderful support with your favorites, kudos, and reviews. You guys make this a gem to write. 
> 
> Author’s Question: Shadow of Life and I have this debate on where Yu would stand on Akira/Ren’s arcana? 
> 
> I would like to hear your thoughts! Anyway, read and review if you wish.


	8. The Players

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> : Finally, Yu met some of the players on the board….kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them and the chapter is unbeta.

There is a lure in power. It can get into a man's blood just as gambling and lust for money have been known to do.― Harry Truman

He didn’t look at Akechi. He refused too. Instead he picked up a card off the ground, he flipped over for a moment. 

His luck has seemed to change. 

“I don’t think so,” He said as he dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground. 

The sky above them open up with a bolt of lightning. The bolt of lightning slammed in-between them. The noise was deafening. He felt the electricity brush against his skin. He watched as Akechi jumped out of the way. He could use this chance to put some distance between him and Akechi. 

If he kept putting distance between him and Akechi, he will always be on the defense. 

He was never one to stay on the sidelines for long. 

He took his dice from his pocket and rolled them toward Akechi and dashed away. Few moments later, they exploded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akechi jump away from the blast.

Finally, he came to stop and draw his cane close to him. 

_Wait for it._

So, he did. 

Over the years, he learned about fighting from his time in the tv world and Izanagi. The tv world was ruthless. There was no hiding in the shadows. Sometimes, he would get lucky to sneak behind them and attack. He learned to attack ruthlessly. It was a skill that helped him survive. Of course, in the real world, that drive could get him in trouble like with the fencing club and at work. 

Then came the arena. 

_Now._

He felt breeze against his cheek. He lifted his cane and turned around to block Akechi’s sword. He watched Akechi’s eyes widen for moment before twisted around rammed his elbow into Akechi’s stomach. He watched as he stumbled back. 

“I thought that you wanted to talk.” 

“I thought that you wanted to kill me.” 

Akechi rose to his feet and started to laugh. He could see the chains started to form. He was going to use Robin Hood. 

And once upon a time, he would attack without thought. 

His persona has caused him to step back and wait….to watch and start thinking three steps ahead instead of now. 

_Boy is going to use one of his fancy light attacks._

He is trying to find our weakness. He figured light attacks would be the best since the little incident at the casino. 

_Ha. Weakness?! Hah. We are like the crazy girl. We have no weaknesses. He thought that was impressive! That was nothing! Wait until we get some more experience!_

In middle of a battle, he shouldn’t be this amused but he was. It didn’t help that his persona was doing a little dance in his head. High Pixie and Leanan Sidhe started to giggle. Tam Lin rolled her eyes at the pair. 

Finally, Robin Hood appear behind Akechi. He saw the light building in Robin Hood’s hands  
.   
_What are you thinking?_

Sneak attack with a mudo card. 

_Excellent! Ready to go under?_

Ready when you are. 

He only had a moment to act when Robin Hood let out his light spell. He slammed his cane and called him to the surface. He felt ground underneath him shake and his shadow expand under his feet. Suddenly, giant tree roots popped and snapped to the surface. They circled around his body to form a cocoon. 

He was in complete darkness then he felt himself drop. 

Others nearly had a panic attack when he first did this in battle. Honestly, they didn’t flip out with Oracle’s persona but with his persona? At least, he gave them some warning. Oracle just decided to pick them up. 

Suddenly, he felt himself rush to the surface like a bullet and popped out of the shadow of a nearby building. It took him a moment to gain a sense of awareness. He realized that he was behind Goro now. He dropped his mudo card on the ground. He watched as the darkness pour into them. 

He frowned when the attack deflected off. 

“Is that the best you have, Gambler?” Goro said with a snarl. 

He ignored Goro for a moment. He heard the others mumbling in his soul. Something wasn’t right. The attack should have some effect on him. Goro’s Robin Hood was weak to dark attacks and Goro wasn’t wearing any dark-resistance accessory in the casino. Unless between the time that they split until now, he equipped one. 

Or….

Hmmm…ah. 

“So, how many personas do you have?”

Akechi’s snarl turned into to one of shock.

_Jackpot_

-P4P5P4- 

The others would like to say that the first time that they met was Mementos. 

Technically, that was true. 

Officially, they met elsewhere but they just don’t remember it until he told them. He does remember them quite well because well…they were kind of loud and nearly killed him. 

Silence wasn’t their forte at all. Tam Lin and Rakasa pointed out to him that they could wake up a bear in the middle of winter. 

They were probably right. 

It was something that he had to work on with them when he joined the group. 

He met Ryuji first or rather heard Ryuji first. 

He was walking pass the arcade when he saw Ryuji arguing with someone about a game. 

“Come on! That is cheating!” 

“It isn’t cheating if you know the secret!” 

“But no one knows the secret!”

The pair argued for a couple minutes before someone shouted for them to break up. 

When he asked what game, Ryuji scratched his head and said that he couldn’t remember. 

Much like Ryuji, he didn’t really met Yusuke but he definitely saw him. He was standing on top of a trash can, framing a picture with his hands. It wouldn’t be so memorable if the trash collector wasn’t trying to get him off the trash can. It took him a bit of time to remember where he met Makoto. After seeing with her persona, he remembered. She was the one that nearly ran him over with her bike. She spent a good five minutes saying how sorry she was. He waved it off. 

Because she never saw Yosuke ride a bike. 

Now, Ann….

He sighed. 

She ruined one of his good shirts with one of her pasties. She ran right into him and…

“I am so so sorry!”

“It’s okay.” 

“No…No! It isn’t. Oh, let me!”

She rubbed the chocolate filling into his shirt with a napkin.

There goes his nice shirt. 

“Oh, I made it worse. Let me buy you a new one!”

“It’s fine. It happens.” 

“I will right back! I promise!” 

Ann rushed into a nearby shop. At least, that is where he thought she went. He was busy trying to get the chocolate out of his shirt. It felt like a moment when she came back and pressed a brand-new shirt in his hands. 

The shirt was…..well.. Uhh….yup… 

He did thank her shirt. He did have his manners. It made a great story to tell his friends and a wonderful gift for Kanji.

Ann was horrified when he told them the story. 

And then she wanted to buy him another shirt. 

Then came Haru’s turn, who by this time, turned bright red. She looked like that she was about to get up. 

He was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong. 

“I am very sorry, sensei. I didn’t mean to hit you with a cart and drop the bag of soil on your foot. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I…I am so sorry!” Haru said in a hurry. 

“A cart and the bags! Those damn bags are heavy! You dropped it on sensei’s foot. Ouch! You were out for the kill.” Ryuji said. 

“I said that I was sorry!”

“Give her a break, Ryuji. You have done worse!”

“Sure, but not to sensei!” 

Futuba took out her lollipop and turned to him as the conversation dissolved into fighting between Ryuji and Ann. 

“So, how did you meet Ren?” She asked. 

He turned from her to Ren, who turned to Morgana. 

Morgana sighed. 

“I hate both of you.” 

End of the Players 

Next Chapter: The Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wanted to add a little humor to this chapter. You know the other thieves will bring it. I will devote an entire chapter to Ren/Yu meeting when the times comes. Now the arcana debate. Some said Aeon. Some think that I should go with a "fake". I am debating about using the World. At this point, I have no idea what to do. XD I like to say I am sorry to my readers on ff.net for forgetting to upload chapter 7 until last Thursday. 
> 
> Fun Question: Do you think Yu is a tea or coffee drinker?
> 
> Anyway, read and review if you wish. Thank you again for feedback, kudos, and reviews. You guys rock!


	9. The Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu learns on how popular Akechi is. That plenty of time to poke fun of his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbeta.

“So, how many personas do you have?”

Akechi’s snarl turned into to one of shock.

_Jackpot._

He watched as Akechi called Robin Hood away. After that, Akechi rubbed his chin and just stared at him. It looked like as if he was trying to gather his thoughts. 

_The boy lost his advantage. He is trying to figure out what to do next or…_

Izanagi started before Lucifer finished the sentence. 

_Just put a bullet in you for knowing too much._

“How did you know?” 

“You aren’t the first wild card that I have met. Your weakness to dark attacks were gone. So, I narrowed down to two choices. One, you could have equipped yourself with dark resistance equipment. You may have done when we broke up but I am guessing that you didn’t have the chance. Two, you equipped yourself with a dark resistance persona. I went with the second choice.” 

“Remarkable. Truly remarkable. You continue to surprise me, my friend.”

He gripped his hat in his hand and bow slightly. He heard Pyro Jack giggle. 

“So, how did you get your persona? Was it like how you described?” He asked. 

Akechi paused. 

“I wandered and wasn’t paying attention after I got off the train. I felt the air change. The world become twisted then I was there. My first palace…it was twisted and beautiful. It looked like an ancient Greece palace. So huge with its endless ceilings but the pillars made of bodies. Screaming, twisted bodies. I would find out later that it was his collection.”

His stomach twisted at his words. 

_Don’t show anything. Don’t move. Keep your eyes focus on him._

“Then the shadows came and attacked. I thought to myself that I am going to die. No one is going to care if I did. Then this voice came…asking me about my justice and what would I do achieve it? Of course, I took it. The power that rushed through me. It was terrifying and wonderful then I crashed those shadows into dust.” 

“And?” 

“Then I exploded my first palace. The things that I learned about this world. It was remarkable. Nothing was a secret. Everything was for the taking. Money…information…items. It took me weeks to learn everything. After I was done learning everything, I ended it. Nearly gave me a heart attack the first time that I watched the palace crumble. I learned to be more careful after that.”

“Oh?” 

“I couldn’t kill them all. I didn’t want to draw too much attention to what I was doing. Of course, there were some that I didn’t need to kill. Just…guide them in the right direction. Of course, it made so much easier when I discovered my talents. It made everything so much easier.” 

“That road lead you to Shido.” 

“Eventually. How did you get yours?” 

His persona snorted. 

_That is a load of question. Which one would you tell him? I heard that you getting Atropos was memorable._

All of them were pretty memorable to him. 

_Sap_

“Interesting question. I am not sure what to say since you were there too.” 

“How…”

“My persona sense you lurking. According to him, you are loud.”

Goro chuckled softly. 

“I was merely watching.” 

“Insightful, huh?”

“Very.” 

Atropos…time? 

_You might want to cut this conversation short. The other Fool is almost finish with the lawyer._

“Sadly…in the end, that insight was all for nothing. It is time to wish you…a farewell, my friend,” Akechi said as he pulled out his gun again. 

He lifted up his cane and quickly undo the wooden sheath around the blade. It was something that he made for himself once he got his new persona. Kanji helped with the suit. The models may work here but he just couldn’t use them. There was too much ingrain habit from the tv world. He tossed it to the side and rushed toward Akechi. He can’t let him get off another shot. 

He watched as Akechi’s hand move toward his sword but stopped for moment. Akechi finally jumped out of the way. His blade brushed against his cheek. 

Quickly, he twisted around and stopped. He turned back around to face Akechi, who brushed his cheek. 

He could see the blood rolling down Goro’s cheek. 

He drew first blood. 

-PS4P5P4- 

“Ooo…look! Look! There he is! The detective prince!!” 

“Oo…right next to the tall one. He is cute. So is his friend. I can totally climb that.”

“SHH…They can totally hear you.” 

“I am so sorry about that,” Akechi said as they walked pass a group of girls. 

“It is okay. Hanging out with Rise is worse. Sometimes, the paparazzi is annoying. Kanji or I had to step in a few times. We always get a laugh out of the magazines the next day. The headlines are highly amusing,” He said. 

“I am glad that you are able to find the humor in this situation. Wait…you said Rise. Are you referring to Rise Kujikawa?”

“Yes.” 

He watched as Akechi blinked for a moment. 

“You know a lot of famous people.” 

He shrugged. He never thought of them that way. They are his friends. 

“I really don’t think of them as famous. They are my friends. I have seen them at their bad moments and their best as they have seen mine. I am extreme proud of them and their accomplishments. How do your friends feel about yours?”

Akechi paused. 

“Sadly, I don’t have time for friends. My work keeps extremely busy.” 

“Not even your colleagues?”

“Then tend to view unkindly to my age.”

He nodded his head. Naoto faced the same thing. 

“As your friend, I’m very proud of your accomplishments. Your latest case with that DIET member was impressive. You must have worked a lot of hours to get that done.” 

Akechi flushed. 

“You read about that?” 

“Of course. I was…huh?” 

‘What is it?” 

He waved his hand toward a magazine that he saw on the rack. 

“Dating a super model.” 

Akechi chuckled softly. 

“This week.” 

“Supposedly, my friends and I got Rise involved in a cult. We gave them points for creativity. Normally, it is who is breaking her heart. Apparently, I do it every other week.” 

“I have been a part of those headlines. Apparently, I have been a part of several love triangles. Rather tiring if you ask me.” 

“I know that they are trying to sell papers but sometimes, they are rather silly.”

“Drama sell papers.” 

“Truly and apparently…threesomes.” 

Akechi blinked for a moment then laughed. 

End of The Star

Next Chapter: The End (of the Beginning)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I totally agree with my reviewers about Yu drinking both. As a writer, I am also surprised by Yu and Akechi's friendship. This fic is totally not turn out like I planned but that isn't always a bad thing. I want to thank everyone for stopping by to review, kudos, give me cookies, or just favorite this thing. Thank you!
> 
> Author's fun question: Which Persona 4 character would you like to appear first (not just over the phone)?


	10. The End (of The Beginning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bang. Bang. BANG

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story is unbetaed.

Gambling can turn into a dangerous two-way street when you least expect it. Weird things happen suddenly, and your life can go all to pieces.-Hunter S. Thompson

Quickly, he twisted around and stopped. He turned back around to face Akechi, who brushed his cheek. 

He could see the blood rolling down Goro’s cheek. 

He drew first blood. 

“Since when you had this trick?” Akechi asked. 

“For a while. Personal experience at all,” He said as he held the blade close. He watched as Akechi drew his sword as well. 

He needed a weapon that was hidden in plain sight. Between him and Kanji, they were able to figure out something that he could use in the cognitive world and the real world if the need for it. As much as he preferred his sword, it was always a pain to bring with him. So, they thought up a solution. 

“Clever,” Akechi said as he rushed to attack him. 

It was an attack that he easily blocked. He pushed back him back and Akechi pull back to attack his other side. He did some test thrusts to see Akechi’s skill. The first thing that he realized at Akechi’s reactions to his test was he wasn’t comfortable with a sword. No, he should rephrase that. 

His moves were good but they were functional. It remained quite a bit of his fencing club in high school. Some members were natural with their weapons. Some were terrified of them. Some knew the moves but didn’t fall either category. 

_This isn’t his preferred weapon of choice._

Probably the gun. 

_Probably_

He noticed that most persona users pick up their weapons through a trail by fire. It was a dangerous method but they really didn’t have much of a choice. 

One of these days, he and Igor were going to have a talk about that. It would save him some headache if he had an idea on what was coming. 

He chuckled softly. Knowing Igor would just grin at him and give him some riddle. 

After a few test hits with his blade that Akechi easily blocked, he went in. He pressed his blade a little hard and he went in. Akechi started to struggled to keep up with his moves. He was no longer on the offense but the defense. 

“Someone has been training,” Akechi said as he barely blocked another move.

_He is trying to distract you._

I know. 

_The boy knows that he is out gunned here. He is up to something._

Hmm…the other one….

_His other persona…he hasn’t used it yet._

Yes.

Finally, he knocked Goro’s sword from his hands. 

“You won’t kill me. You just can’t. You are one of the “good” guys,” Akechi said with a laugh. 

He saw something underneath Akechi’s feet. He jumped back as he watched. It was like his persona’s attack but not. It was dark and twisted shadows that wrapped around Akechi’s body. 

_What the hell?!_

_His other…_

His hand dived into his pocket for his phone. He watched as Akechi drew his gun and point it at him. 

“But I have…no such quarrels.”

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

-P4P5P4- 

Yu was busy fixing dinner for himself but he had the tv on. The news was blaring in the background. 

_There are reports coming out of the school that he confessed in front of the entire school._

_…rumors that this behavior has been going on for years._

_…several students have reported…._

_The police believe that…_

_…the incident with the student._

_…calling cards were left all over the school…_

_…crimes…_

_…change of heart…_

_…they call themselves…_

_The Phantom Thieves._

End of The End (of the Beginning)

Next Chapter: The Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Don't kill me? Please? Anyway, to answer the question, everyone will make an appearance but I am leaning toward Teddie or Rise to make the first appearance but for very different reasons. It depends on how the future chapter rolls. Anyway, thank you for the lovely reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys are awesome and deserve Phantom Shape cookies.
> 
> Since I am working on this chapter now….my question is: How do you think Ren and Yu meet?


	11. The Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being back in school brings familiarity back in Yu’s life…in more than one way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story is unbetaed.

“Did you use the shirt that I picked out for you, big bro?” Nanako said over the phone. 

“Of course.” 

“Are you going to wear the shirt that I picked out for you tomorrow, sensei!” Teddie said. 

“Of course,” He said with a laugh. 

The night before his classes, Teddie and Nanako gathered around his uncle’s old laptop. They insisted that they picked out his outfit for school. It was hilarious. He had to point several times to Teddie that really doesn’t match or it wasn’t the season.

“But…But Sensei…don’t you want to be a hot stud?” 

“Teddie! Big bro is going to school, not on a date.”

“Oh…Sorry, Nana-chan.”

“That is okay. When big bro goes on a date, we will make sure that he dressed a lot better.” 

“YAY! You’re the best!” 

He had to force himself not to laugh at their fun. As long as they didn’t make him wear a coat or giant flower, he was good. 

It was good to hear them laugh. They sounded a little down since he left. He made a note to visit them during the next break. It wasn’t that far from here. 

“How were your classes?” 

“Did you meet any beautiful fair maidens?” 

“Classes went well. No, I haven’t meet any maidens, Teddie.” 

It felt…strange back in a classroom. The material didn’t bother him but the environment felt strange. Perhaps, Mitsuru-san was right. 

_“You know, there is a strong possibility that you will be the oldest in your class.”_

_“I know.”_

_“You aren’t worried?”_

_“I have been many schools over the years. Some where I have been the oldest and sometimes, the youngest. This won’t be new.”_

_“….”_

_“Are you worried?”_

_“Tests don’t fall to swords.”_

_“Mistsuru-san? What are you worried about?”_

_“…..I am not sure that it would be wise to doing this case and your education at the same time.”_

_“Probably just as wise as the Dark Hour or looking into a murder case while we were in school.”_

_She chuckled over the phone._

_“We were younger than.”_

_“And yet that hasn’t changed anything, has it?”_

_“No, it hasn’t.”_

_“There are more and more rumors and reports that we uncovered. I don’t like where this is going.”_

_“I have back up and I will call it if I need.”_

_“Just be careful.”_

_“I will.”_

Nanko’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Did you make any friends, big bro?” 

” You mean beside Akechi? There is Schwarzer and Albarea…”

_He met Rean Schwarzer first. It was after class one day and Rean kept staring at him funny. It made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to ask why Rean was staring at him._

_Soon...he got his answer_

_“It is nice to meet another sword wielder,” Schwarzer said behind him._

_He nearly tripped over his feet when he heard that. He turned around to see to a smaller man with dark black hair behind him. The stranger looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head._

_“Oh?”_

_“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw your fencing bag by your school bag. I thought great! Another sword person. Hah…sorry. The others say that I should stop doing that,” the man said._

_“That I can imagine. Did you fence as well?”_

_“For a little bit. I preferred the tachi myself but my parents thought that it was a good idea.” The stranger said with a laugh._

_“The same expect that it was a good elective to take at the time. My instructor thought that I was too forceful and might hurt someone.”_

_“Mine thought that I was too nice. I was holding back.”_

_He chuckled._

_“I can see that,” He said with a grin._

_“Is that challenge?”_

_“Maybe?”_

_The stranger laughed._

_“Rean Schwarzer.”_

_“Yu Narukami.”_

Then he met Jusis Albarea…who was Rean’s friend soon after. He was around the same height as Rean and had blonde hair and blue eyes. In his head, he could already hear Rise telling him that he was the “model” type. 

_“So, you adopted another one?” Albarea said as he looked him up and down._

_“I didn’t adopt him! I commented on his bag!” Rean said with a sigh._

_“Uh huh…like you adopted Elliot.”_

_“Elliot lose his violin. I was merely helping him find it. And you like Elliot!”_

_“…And Gaius?”_

_“He was asking my thoughts on one of his paintings.”_

_“And Emma?”_

_“She got her bag stuck…I swear…you make me sound that I am a stalker.”_

_“A helpful stalker. So, how does it feel to be adopted?” Jusis said as he turned to him._

_“As long as it isn’t a cult, I am good.” He said in amusement._

Jusis laughed. 

“I like him. He gets to stay.” 

Nanako and Teddie laughed. 

“I like them,” Nanako said. 

“I knew that you would.” He said. 

“When will we get to meet them?” Teddie asked. 

“Hopefully soon.” 

“YAY!” The pair shouted over the phone. 

“Okay, I’m here. I have to go.” He said as he finally arrived at his destination. 

“Good bye, big bro,” Nanako said. 

“Good luck and Good bye, sensei!” Teddie added. 

He laughed. 

“Good bye, you two.” He said before he ended the phone call. He slipped his phone into his pocket. 

He eyed the school carefully. It looked like a normal school but he knew better. 

Appearances can be deceiving. 

He watched as the students exit and enter the building. He adjusted his bag. 

It was time to get to work. 

End of The Familiar. 

Next Chapter: The Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yu is a little social butterfly, isn’t he? What can I say? I like Legend of Heroes and I thought Rean and Yu would get along quite well. So, there. But don’t expect Rean and the gang to appear too much. Sorry. Anyway, some of you guys were right on the nose on how Yu and Ren meet. Some of you guys were actually close on how Yu meet the others. 
> 
> Fun question: Who do you pair our heroes with during your playthrough? 
> 
> While pairs won’t play a huge role in the story, I won’t lie…I am curious what you guys did during your playthrough. So, read and review if you wish! Thank you for all of your wonderful support!


	12. The Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu finds Mementos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling is not a vice, it is an expression of our humanness. We gamble. Some do it at the gaming table, some do not. You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play. -Jeanette Winterson

There was nothing at the school. 

Yu expected as much. 

He knew time was a factor since he nearly came two weeks after the “famous” incident. 

He wasn’t sure what he was going to find there anyway but it was interesting to see the whole Phantom Thieves thing has done to the school. The school was still buzzing with it. Rumors were flying everywhere and he couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone. There was an energy there that reminded him of the murders. Everyone has a theory and no one has the answer. At least, not one that they are willing to share. 

Unlike the murders, this situation could easily be explained away. These “thieves” knew something and decided to blackmail their teacher. So, instead of doing it privately, they decided to show the whole school and let them in on the secret as well. In his opinion, it was a good idea. Secrets can be easily buried especially these…

He shook his head to move away from those thoughts. 

Impressive but still…something bothered him. 

He just couldn’t figure it out why until he talked to Rise on the way home that night.

_“I have been promoting my new movie and no one has been asking about it! It is the Phantom Thieves this and the Phantom Thieves that. It is crazy.” Rise said over the phone._

_“Oh?”_

_“I am saying that they shouldn’t have done it. I totally believe that they should. I thought that would go away at this point. I thought that DIET member getting caught with that escort was much bigger news. It barely made a dent in the news. It like the fog all over again.”_

_That is what it reminded him of. Toward the end, everyone was talking about it. It was crazy._

_“I notice that too. I am not sure if the media or something else.”_

_“And…you are looking into, of course.”_

_“Of course.”_

_“Just don’t overwork yourself. You and Naoto worry us sometimes.”_

_“Naoto worried me more. She has the habit of sleeping her keyboard.”_

_She giggled._

_“Awww! Since my next interview is soon, I almost have to go. BUT! I have to favor to ask. Be my date for the premiere.”_

_“I thought that you were going to ask Youske since he was free.”_

_“Well…”_

_“What happened?”_

_“His nose bleed again when he saw one of my students.”_

_He laughed. That sounded like him._

_“Okay…just text me the time and place.”_

_“You are a gem, Yu. Bye!”_

_“Bye.”_

He shook his head with chuckle as he hit the end button on his phone. 

As he walked down the steps, he felt a shift in the air. His hand went under his jacket and gripped the sword. He cursed himself when he realized that nothing was there. Carefully, he walked down the steps as his surrounding grew darker. The walls began to changed from somewhat clean to covered in dirt and some type of vines. 

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized that it was still the subway in a way. It reminded him of an abandoned subway. The spray paint on the walls. It looked like that it hasn’t been cleaned or used in years with dirt and grim clinging to the walls. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a glowing familiar door. 

The Velvet Room. 

He noted that away for later since there was no attendant present. He guessed that his fellow fool wasn’t here. 

Still…This is new. 

_Very._

_I wonder where we are._

If he had to guess, it was some other world similar to the tv world. When he entered it, he felt the same shift. 

_Still doesn’t explain where we are!_

It is okay. We will figure it out, High Pixie. 

She huffed for a moment. 

_This is hell._

He tilted his head when he heard Lucifer’s voice. 

Lucifer? 

It was strange that he remained silent. 

He looked down the dark tunnel. He couldn’t make out anything. He jumped down onto the tracks. 

_Are you crazy?!_

_You are insane! You don’t have a sword._

_I am just checking it out!_

_The lad is crazy._

He chuckled softly at the others. He is merely checking around the entrance. It will give him an idea on what to expect next time he is down here. From the entrance, he could tell the tunnel ran deep and breaks out into different paths. 

It was definitely worth exploring but not today. 

He was about to turn back around when he heard a voice. 

“Come on…let me look at it.” A female voice said. 

“He Ho…” The voice said. 

“I know that you are hurt. I am sorry. The other shadows can be so mean.” 

Slowly, he moved from the entrance and toward the voices. 

Yu, this isn’t wise. This could be a trap. 

I don’t think that it is, Tam-Lin. 

Finally, he found the source when he saw a Lilim and Black Frost several feet in front of him. 

The little Black Frost was pressed against the wall and trying to make himself as small as he could possible be. He could also see him holding his arm. 

Poor little guy. 

_He Ho…_

I know. I know, Jack. Let me see what I can do.

_This boy is a sap._

“I am not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to check!” Lilim said as she hovered over the Black Frost. 

Slowly and quietly, he approached the pair. 

“Hello.” 

The pair turned toward him. Lilim squeaked and Black Frost tried to make himself even smaller. 

He held up his hands. 

“Easy. I just trying to help.” 

“HELP! YOU! You come in here and cause all of this chaos! All of the shadows are upset and it caused so much chaos. Okay, not everyone but most of them! This place is constantly changing. Do you know how many times that I got lost!? A lot, okay!”

So, there have been others here. Unlike the tv world, this place is constantly changing. Really good things to note for next time. 

“I am really sorry that others have been upsetting you. I just here to help.” 

Finally, he kneeled down on the ground and set his bag down. He opened it up and got his mini first aid out of his bag. It was something that he picked up while working at the day care. He opened the kit to show the duo. 

“I am going to patch you right up. See? Bandages and disinfectant wipes.” He said. 

Black Frost looked into the kit and pointed at one of his more colorful bandages. Nanako may have grown out of the phrase but Teddie loved them. 

“You like that one?” 

Black Frost nodded his head. 

He turned to the Lilim and offered the disinfectant wipe to her. 

“Would my nurse like to open the package for me?” He said. 

“Oh…of course,” She said as she opened the package for him and handed it back. Black Frost removed his hand to show his arm. Good…just a little scratch. 

“This may hurt a little, okay?” He said as he took out the wipe and gently the scratch. He opened up the tie-dye band aid that Black Frost picked out and put it on his arm. 

“There. You are done. You were very good. What does my nurse think? Good enough?” He said. Lilim moved over to look at the Black Frost’s arm. She examined for a moment. 

“Look good,” She said. 

“Good,” He said as he went through his bag again to get some candy out. 

“Since you were such a good patient, you get some candy.”

Black Frost’s eyes glowed as he opened the wrapper and set piece of candy in his hand. 

“For being an excellent nurse, you get one as well,” He said as he opened another piece and give it to Lilim. 

“Thank you.” Lilim said with a blush. 

He watched the two shadows eat their pieces of candy as he packed away the first aid kit and put it back into his bag. Once he was done, he got back to his feet. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked down to see Black Frost hugging him. 

“Aww…thank you.” He said as he patted the little one’s head. 

“You should be leaving. The bad shadow will be here soon,” Lilim said. 

He nodded his head. 

“Will you come back, Sensei?” She asked. 

“I will. Next time, I will bring snacks and a game that we can play,” He said. 

Black Frost clapped and Lilim cheered happily. 

Hopefully, this will help him get information about this place and the shadows that lived here. 

_I thought that you were going to give us a heart attack._

_He almost did._

_But he was wise to seek help for those who live in that dominion._

He had a feeling that he was going to need it. 

He also needed to remember to bring his sword. 

And find out where this weird app come from…. 

End of The Memory

Next Chapter: The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am sorry for the large gaps in posting. My dad has been in and out of the hospital since June. I am hoping once everything is settled, I will be back to normal posting schedule. Anyway, I have finally introduced some of Yu’s shadow friends. They are important for stuff…that you will find out soon enough. To answer my own question, I paired Yu with Rise and Chie. For Ren, I paired him with Makoto and Haru. 
> 
> Author’s Curious Question: What is your favorite persona? 
> 
> P.S: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews especially yours, Y. They are truly awesome. So, read and review if you wish.


	13. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren meet Yu. Yu meet Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbeta.

Gambling is the great leveller. All men are equal at cards.-Nikolai Gogol

Futuba took out her lollipop and turned to him as the conversation dissolved into fighting between Ryuji and Ann. 

“So, how did you meet Ren?” She asked. 

He turned from her to Ren, who turned to Morgana. 

Morgana sighed. 

“I hate both of you.” 

“Okay, now I really got to know,” Futuba said with interest. 

“I wasn’t there for the first part of the story. Maybe you should start?” He said as he took a sip of his coffee. 

“The first part?” Haru asked. 

He nodded his head. 

“Morgana and Ren were arguing about something when I came to look at the job posting board.”

Ren adjusted his glasses and glanced over at Morgana, who still mumbling under his breathe. 

“Before you came up? Mona was saying that I needed a new job that brought in more yen. He needed new equipment,” Ren said. 

His eye brow rose slightly. Mona looked like that he was able to bolt. 

“Man…you were really trying to get on sensei’s bad side,” Ryuji said as he stopped arguing with Ann for a moment. 

“It was the first time that we met! I didn’t know!” Morgana said.

The others knew his feelings about the yen situation. Being in the same situation as Ren was in a few years ago, it gave him perceive and made him slightly pissed off. It didn’t help that Ren looked exhausted from time to time. So, he decided to have a talk with the others. 

_“So, you are telling me that Ren pays for all of the supplies…”_

_“Yes,” Ryuji said._

_“Why?”_

_“Because he is better with managing money than us. Ryuji and Yusuke spend money when they get it. I…well…”_

_His eye brow rose slightly._

_“So, you are telling me that Ren has been paying for all of the supplies. He has been working extra jobs in order to fund your journeys into the palaces and Mementos. He is also studying, helping out Boss and numerous others in the community. And….”_

_The three of them look at each other._

_“Well…all of us are kind of broke, man. Ren look like that he has it covered. So we leave him to it. We get enough from the palace and Mementos. That should cover us for sure.” Ryuji said as he scratched his head._

_His eye brow rose higher. He needed to make a note to take Ryuji shopping with them when they do a supply run. It is pretty telling that they didn’t know the prices for anything._

_“How much do you think medicine cost, Ann?”_

_Ann blinked._

_“I am not sure? 500 yen?” Ann said._

_“If you are buying from vendor machines, sure…I can say that is around 500 yen. But if you want the good medicine, the doctor isn’t cheap. So, try 1,000 yen or more for that,” He said._

_“How much does your weapon cost, Yusuke?” He said calmly._

_“Given the condition of the weapon, 5000 yen?” Yusuke said._

_“You are close. But buying a new gun and weapon for each of you, I say that cost roughly around 20,000 yen or more.”_

_He watched as the gears turn in their heads._

_“HOLY CRAP…that is 80,000 yen?!” Ryuji shouted._

_“Roughly.”_

_“I didn’t realize that everything cost so much,” Ann said._

_The group looked like they were getting disciple by a parent or a principal._

_“So, what would you have us do?” Yusuke said._

_“I believe sensei saying that you guys should donate from time to time to help him with buying items and equipment,” Mona said._

_“Thank you, Mona. You shouldn’t leave out yourself out of this. I know that you sneak a few coins here and there.”_

_“How did you know! Who told you?!” Mona said with a huff._

_“Toothless, of course.”_

_His shadow friends tend to talk a lot and have no filter. He learned a lot from them…sometimes, good and sometimes…. information that shouldn’t be shared. The others only caught part of the conversations in battle._

_Him and Ren?_

_Just say they spent one evening talking about the weirdest and funniest things that shadows say and do._

_That was fun._

_“What do you have us do?” Yusuke said._

_He smiled just a little._

That how the Phantom jar was born. The others would donate when they could. Ren was confused by it at first until he explained its purpose. Ren denied that he needed help but he could tell that helped. 

If he donated more than most, then…it was his little secret. 

“So, I didn’t miss much?” He said. 

“Not really,” Ren said. 

“You two were nothing but trolls…evil trolls,” Mona said. 

He and Ren just grinned at each other. 

_He approached the stand where Rean told him about the local job posting. It seemed someone had the same idea as him. He slowly walked over and started to looking through the job postings at the magazine stand. He really didn’t need another job since he has the Shadow Operatives and tutoring._

_It is always good to have his choices open._

_“Anything good?” A voice said behind him._

_He tilted to his head to see a guy with messy black hair with a back pack on his shoulder. His eyes widen slightly when he saw the uniform._

_It was the school that he was at about two weeks ago._

_“Depends on what you think of as good,” He said._

_“In other words, nothing that I haven’t seen already,” The guy said._

_He chuckled._

_“Probably. Sometimes, I have better luck with newspapers at finding jobs.”_

_“I haven’t look at those yet. What do you recommend?”_

_“Tutoring is good. Sometimes, the local hospital can be a good place to look. Local businesses can be tricky. They can be a good source of income especially if they pay under the table.”_

_“Wow…this guy knows a lot of about jobs. Ask him which one brings in the most money.”_

_He looked around for the source of the voice but he saw no one nearby. It was definitely not the person next to him._

_He frowned._

_“Best job for money?” The guy asked._

_“Tutoring,” He said._

_“Well…that is out especially with your record,” The voice said._

_Okay, now he knows that he heard something. He was pretty sure that it was coming from the guy’s pack._

_“Anything else?”_

_“Bars…the pay is better than most.”_

_“Now that is an idea! Where to start looking…”_

_Okay…now he knew something was in the pack._

_“Is your bag making noise?” He asked as he goes behind the guy to examine his bag._

_“DAMN IT!” The voice said._

_“You are being loud, Morgana.” The guy said to his bag._

_“Who is Morgana?” He asked._

_Suddenly, a cat’s head popped out of the guy’s bag._

_“I am not being loud!” Morgana shouted._

_A talking cat?_

_No…he could hear meows under the words. He tilted his head and frowned. It was something that he and the guy next to him can understand him._

_Well…that is kind of new._

_Not Teddie new or robot new but still new._

_He listened as the two were bickering back and forward. It was kind of funny but he wasn’t quite sure what to do._

_How do you confront someone with a talking cat?_

_What do you say?_

_“Your cat is adorable. May I touch him?” He asked._

_“NO, YOU MAY NOT!”_

_“Sure,” The guy said._

_He reached over and gently run his fingers along Morgana’s fur._

_“Stop it…purr…” Morgana shouted._

_“Aww…I take it that he has a sweet spot,” He said with a smile._

_“Well…,” The guy said with a smirk._

_“Hmmm…”_

_“DON’T YOU DARE! TELL HIM TO STOP PURR….rrrr…!” Morgana shouted then purred as he ran his hand along Morgana’s back. Morgana put his head back into the bag to avoid his touch._

_They guy’s face brighten as he took off his bag. He set it on the ground. The guy slipped his hand into his bag._

_“What are you doing, Ren?! Puurrrrrrrrr…..”_

_He laughed softly._

_Ren, huh?_

_“Sometimes, it is only way for me to get him to be quiet sometimes.”_

_“He does seem to be a talkative cat.”_

_“You have no idea.”_

_Oh, he was pretty sure that he did._

_“At least, you can hear him coming.”_

_“You can’t hear me coming! I am the best thief alive! Puurrr…Stop it! Ren…purr…,” Morgana said with another loud purr._

_Ren chuckled as he picked up his bag again._

_“Thank you for allowing me to play with your cat,” He said._

_“No problem,” Ren said._

_“Yes, there was very much of a problem!” The cat shouted._

_“Maybe, next time, I will bring some treats. He does seem like a good cat,” He said._

_“Treats?”_

_“He is. Probably the best,” Ren said._

_He just chuckled._

_He had something to talk with the others._

“Evil trolls…both of you.” Morgana said. 

Ryuiji and Fubuta laughed. 

“Aww…you have a sweet spot…Awww,” Ann said.

“Not you too, Lady Ann.” 

“So, you could hear Morgana from the beginning?” Makoto asked. 

“Yes. I believe that my time in the tv world played a role in that fact,” He said. 

“I could never figure why that you didn’t tell us sooner,” Morgana said. 

“I believe that I was a little busy. Since the first words out of your month when we first met was that I was the man in the black mask, had an army of minions, and were killing people, my friends weren’t very happy when you said that.”

“….One out of three isn’t so bad.” 

End of the Meeting 

Next Chapter: The Cracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The money situation in the games always kind of pissed me off. So, Yu step in to help out because he understands. I have been asked what I am going to do with Dance All Night and Persona Q 2 (Go see the trailer guys…GO!). As it stands, nothing changes but who knows right? Now to answer my own question from last week, I really like the Persona 4 characters’ personas, Black Frost, Tam Lin, and Kohryu. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, kudos, or just stopping by. You guys are great! Read and Review if you wish. 
> 
> Future Chapters: The Cracks  
> The Deck  
> Break In Play: The Hunger  
> The (Un) Familiar Faces  
> Break in Play: The Sensei Effect* (Finally…Yu and Phantom Thieves meet! :D)


	14. The Cracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Yu have a talk. Yu is starting to see the cracks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling makes boys selfish and cruel as well as men. -Thomas Hughes

"I never asked but what is your opinion on the Phantom Thieves? I believe that your outlook would be different since you do work for the police department." Yu said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"They have definitely made life interesting. Annoyedly so," Akechi said as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"Oh?"

"False leads…phone calls…shouts that they are the Thieves. It has die down a little since the first incident."

"I can image. So, you think that it is a one-time thing?"

"No, I don't think so. I think that there will be another incident. They know that the first time was a success. I don't see them letting go. There will be another to keep their names in the papers sort of speak."

"That is where I disagree with you," He said.

Akechi jerked a little and blinked at him if he was surprised.

"I believe that it is personal. From the papers and the news, the abuse has been going on for years. It was going to boil over sooner or later. As for the group…maybe, they knew someone that he abused. Maybe, someone in their group was being abused. Finally, they did something about it."

"Then they should have gone to the police."

"Do you believe that the police would have done something?"

Something cross Akechi's face then it was gone. The look was followed by silence.

"I would believe that the police would have handle this situation."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"You put me in a very hard spot."

"Not really. I put you in an honest one."

Akechi laughed.

"What a spot to put me in."

He hummed softly as he waited for an answer.

Akechi sighed softly.

"Based on the evidence, I believe the police would have ignored any accusations. The word of teenagers against the word of a highly-decorated coach. It would have been swept under the rug," Akechi said.

"Justice isn't blind. It just sees what it wants to see."

"Oh, yes. Justice see the rich, the poor, and everything in between. It only values power. The power to use and abuse it."

He nodded his head slightly as his body tensed up. He caught the look in Akechi's eye. There is a darkness there.

"Interesting thought for a detective."

"It is a thought that I want to change. Justice should remain blind and free for all…not a select few," Akechi said before he took a sip of his coffee.

"A noble thought," He added. Something felt off about his words…the sentence…Just everything.

"Easy to say…"

"But hard to do."

Akechi chuckled softly.

"But you are the first to believe that this isn't some prank. I found your thoughts insightful and something worth noting, my friend."

"The same."

A ringing noise came from Akechi's side. Akechi sighed softly.

"Duty calls." Akechi said as he got his phone out of his jacket pocket. Akechi frowned as he looked at his phone.

"I am making lasagna tonight. So, expect a container at your doorstep tomorrow," He said with a nod.

"Honestly…you don't have to keep feeding me."

"And allow you the pleasure of eating convenience store dinners? Never," He said with a grin.

Akechi laughed.

"I look forward to it then. But at least, allow me to pay for your coffee."

"Thank you," He said as Akechi got up from his chair and paid their coffee to the older gentleman at the counter. Akechi waved good-bye and he waved back. He watched as Akechi left then turned his attention back to his coffee.

"That kid got to lighten up a little. Of course, he seemed perk up a little when you are around," The older gentleman at the counter said.

He turned to the gentleman to get a really good look at him. His hair was slick back into a ponytail. He wore an apron around his waist. He pushed a pair of glasses back to the bridge of his nose. His body was kind of leaned over like he has been working for a long time over a hot stove.

"Oh?" He said.

"Normally, he came in and have a cup of coffee. He has a habit of looking into the cup like it had all of the answers. My coffee is good but not that good."

He chuckled softly.

"Your coffee is alright. I prefer tea myself," He said with a grin.

The old man barked out a laugh.

"You came to the wrong place. I don't serve tea here."

"I don't know…your sign outside said café. I was terrible disappointed that there was no tea on the menu."

"Well…sorry to disappoint you, kid. Just to say that there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I am sure that it will have your tea."

"I doubt that you are," He said with a grin.

The older man shook his head and chuckled.

"Kids, these days think that they are so funny."

He grinned.

"Hey, Boss! How about a refill?" Another consumer said at one of the tables.

Boss grumbled as he moved toward the table with a pot of coffee.

He chuckled softly before going back to his coffee. He heard the door ring behind him. He turned his head toward the door to see a familiar pair. It was the boy from before and the talking cat. The pair didn't seem to see him as they walked pass him.

"Honestly, we have work to do and you want to hang out with Ryuji," Morgana said.

"He needed help with something. You can wait one day," Ren said.

"He always wanted to do something. Next, it will be Lady Ann…"

"And I thought that you liked Ann…" Ren said as he walked up the stairs.

…

Hmmm…

….So, what kind of job does a talking cat has anyway?

End of the Cracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I am very aware that Akechi show up earlier at our favorite spot than in the game. Akechi probably want to bring his friend without annoying eyes and ears around. Boss/Yu interactions are the best. There will be more of them. Thank you for the favorites and the reviews. You guys rock
> 
> PS: I am going to be at Dragon Con this weekend! If you want to meet up, you PM or flag me down…I will be in my Pyro Jack costume! :D


	15. The Deck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever wonder where Yu got his cards…well…the story goes like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

_You are going down there…again!_

Of course. I did promise. 

_Shadows!_

They aren’t that bad. Wait until you meet Teddie. 

_This Teddie must left quite impression for you to be such an idiot child._

Leanan Sidhe choked laugh inside of his head. 

_We found that strange one to be interesting. Our Master cared deeply for the strange one. So, we tolerate the strange one._

He rose his eye brow slightly. Genbu rarely talked…much less call him Master. That was interesting. 

_You are crazy, kid._

If it made you feel better, I brought my sword. 

_And snacks…_

They like snacks. 

In the corner of his eye, he could see the impression of something. Something…purple? He could barely tell that it was before it was gone. 

Nice cloak. 

The persona snorted. 

_Oh, don’t forget the games! I love games._

He grinned at High Pixie’s voice as he jumped down to the rails. 

_Games?_

Just some cards…it is easier to carry than Monopoly or Scrabble. 

_Yosuke is very good at Monopoly. He brought all of the railroads the last time that we played._

_Naoto and Yu are very good at Scrabble._

_What in the hell is this Monopoly and Scrabble?_

He chuckled softly at his personas explaining the rules of both games to the new persona. About half of the rules were wrong but still…it was funny to listen to everyone. He took a flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. He flashed the light around. 

Hmmm….

You know…it kind of reminded him of a haunted house with its endless hallways and sounds. 

Kind of creepy. 

_It reminded me of home._

It does have that feel, doesn’t it, Mot? 

Now, if he turned right here…then turned left. He stopped when he saw a door instead of a path. 

Hmm…he forgot that this place constantly changed. Going to hard to map this place if it does. But if this place like the tv world or Dark Hour, there are still probably landmarks or markers. 

_If we can find them._

He nodded his head. 

“Hold, human!” A voice said behind him. 

He turned around to see Yaskini behind him. Her swords were drawn as her body moved from side to side. 

_The girl is hot._

_You have terrible taste in women. That one could eat you._

_Also hot._

He chuckled softly and shook his head. 

“Oh, hello. Have you seen Lilum or Black Frost around?”

“Why do you seek such creatures?” 

“I promise that I would come back and brought snacks.”

Yaskini made a face. 

“You aren’t trying to form a contract, are you? The other ones came down here tried and failed. They are terrible.” 

Several of his personas started to laugh. 

“They are young and still learning. You have to forgive them.” 

“Young indeed…but so are you.”

“I am,” He said as he looked behind her in hopes to see what direction to go. 

“I have a use for such young blood here. Not theirs. Perhaps, you can keep me company”

“No, I am a little busy at the moment. Thank you for the offer.” 

“Who said you won’t?” 

“Me.”

_See? Told you that this was going to happen._

He sighed. This had to turn into a fight. He watched as Yaskini draw her blades. He reached to draw his own blade. 

“SENSEI!” 

“HE HO!” 

He turned around at the familiar voices and smiled. 

“Hello, you two,” He said when he saw Lilam and Black Frost running toward him.

“You came!” Lilam said as she stopped in front of him. 

“Of course.” 

Black Frost hugged him. He grinned as he looked down then patted its head. 

“Did you bring snacks?” Lilim said hopefully. 

“Like I promised.” 

Lilim clapped her hands then she turned to Yaskini, who looked confused. 

“You aren’t messing with Sensei, are you?” Lilim asked. 

“No?”

“I was just going to invited her to our game,” He said. 

“Really? I was about to…” Yaskini said in confusion. 

“Of course. Why don’t you find a spot, Lilim?” 

He had to cut her off quick because he wasn’t sure how Lilim and Black Frost would react to her trying to eat him. 

Lilim hummed for a moment then her eyes lightened up. She grabbed his hand pulled him deeper into this place. Black Frost was holding his hand and Yaskini was following behind closely. Finally, they reached what looked like the end of this place. Well…kind of since it looked like that there was stairs leading down. 

He wondered how big this place was and how far it goes down. 

“Ta-DA! If the bad shadow comes, you can always run down the stairs.”

“Sound like a plan. So, what should we do first?” 

“He Ho!” 

“Snacks.” 

He laughed as he let got of Black Frost’s hand. He set his bookbag up on the platform before pulling himself up. He offered his hand to Black Frost and the Black Frost grabbed it. He pulled him right onto the platform with him. Black Frost clapped once he got to the top. 

“Yaskini? 

The shadow looked confused. 

“Both?” She said. 

He smiled as he opened his bookbag. He grabbed his deck of cards, pocky box, potato chips, and pretz box out of his bag.

“What are we going to play, Sensei?” Lilam asked. 

“Go Fish.” 

He thought of playing Menko with them but he wasn’t sure if the throwing and shouting was such a good idea. So Go Fish was simple enough and less violence. 

“Ooo…how do you play?” 

He took out the deck of cards from its pack. 

“I deal out 5 cards to each of you. The rest become our draw pile. We ask asking a specific person for a specific card like do you have any sevens, Black Frost? If you have any sevens, you give them to me. If the person asked does not have that card, they say 'Go fish!'. The player must then draw the top card of the pile. Then they set the pair down and they get another turn to ask for another. If the person doesn’t have it, but the turn now passes to the next player. The game continues until either someone has no cards left in their hand or the pile runs out. The winner is the player who then has the most pairs. Any questions?” 

The shadows shook their heads no. 

“Okay. If you have any questions, just ask,” He said as he dealt out the cards. The shadows gathered in semi-circle and grabbed their cards…and of course, their snacks. 

“Does Sensei have a five?” Lilim said. 

“No, go fish,” He said. 

Lilim pouted and drew a card. 

“He Ho?” 

“I don’t have it. Go Fish.” 

“Two, Yaskini?” 

“Damn it.” 

Yaskini handed Lilm the card. 

“Lilim, you told me that this place always changed. Do you know why?”

“Uh huh…Do you have a king, Sensei?” 

“No…go fish.”

“No…not really. There are always new shadows coming here expect when it made a lot of noise. The place shook really hard. It was awful,” Lilm said. 

“It sounded terrible.” 

“Hee Ho!” 

“It is! I don’t want you and Black Frost around when the man in the black mask is here. He changed this place every time he came down here. It screamed last time. So much noise and pain but after a while, it changed back. It was quiet again.” 

“Man in the black mask? Like the phantom thieves?” 

“No. The other ones are funny. Sometimes, they calm the other shadows down,” Lilim added. 

“I have sense the man in the black mask hunger for something. While we hunger for something here, most of the shadows flee from such hunger. His hunger consumed and destroyed all,” Yaskini said. 

_So, there are two groups._

More like a group and an individual…

_And now, you._

“Sensei, it is your turn.” 

“Oh, thank. How about nine, Black Frost?” 

“He ho!”

“Of course. How does this place change?” He said with a grin as he took a card from the pile and added to his cards. 

“Lots of noise.” Lilim said. 

“Sometimes, a piece will break off.” Yaskini added. 

“HEE! HO!” Black Frost added as he waved his arms about. It was almost enough to throw his cards into the air. 

“Break off?” He said. 

“Yes, it is like an earthquake and then it pops off.” Yaskini added. 

“That sounded scary.” 

“It did!” Lilim added. 

“HEE HO!” 

“Hey! What is going on!? Can you let an old man sleep?” Another voice said. 

He looked over to see an Incubus. 

“Oh, hello. You want to play too?” He asked. 

“What are you playing?” Incubus asked as he approached them. 

“Go Fish.” 

“Boring….you should play blackjack!” 

“You know how to play?” 

Incubus frowned for a moment. 

“Maybe? I don’t remember.” 

“I haven’t play blackjack in a while. Let me look up the rules and we can play next time, okay?” 

It was interesting to see what shadows remembered and what they couldn’t. 

“Really?! Thanks, man! Oo….what are these?” 

He grinned. 

“Snacks.” 

Incubus glided over and took a pocky stick out of the box. 

“Hmmm…yum,” Incubus said as he took a bit of the stick. 

“Don’t eat all of them!” Lilim said. 

“You aren’t eating them!” 

“I was sharing!” 

“Guys…” He said. 

“I was planning to share!”

“No, you weren’t!”

“Yes, I was.” 

“No, you weren’t!”

“Enough.” 

The shadows stopped arguing and stared at him. 

“Sorry, Sensei.” 

“Sorry, man.” 

“That is okay,” He said. 

“Hee Ho?” Black Frost said. 

“Hmm…that is a good idea. Why don’t we pause the game and enjoy our snacks?” 

“Finally, you have a good idea,” Yaskini said as she dived into the snack pile. The other shadows followed suit. 

“Ooo…I know what Sensei can bring next time,” Lilim said. 

“Oh?” 

“Cookies!” 

“Hee Ho!” 

“That is a good idea, Black Frost. Gummies are the best, man,” Incubus said. 

“I would like veggie sticks.” 

“Hi-Chews.” 

“I like that hard candy you brought last time, Sensei.” 

“Gum!”

He laughed softly. 

“I like…SENSEI! Go down the stairs. Bad shadow is coming,” Lilim said as she scrambled from the ground. 

“Okay,” He said as he scrambled to his feet. 

“Go…Go…Go!” 

“HEE HO!” 

Black Frost and Lilim pulled him toward the stairs. In the distance, he could the sound of chains. 

“Will you guys be okay?” 

“We will be fine, Sensei. He Who Is Death does not approach us.” Yaskini said.

“Before you go, Sensei…here. This is for you.” Incubus said as he handed him something. 

“Go!” Lilim said as she pulled him down the stairs. 

He stumbled down the stairs until he reached another level of this place. 

It looked…the same. He shouldn’t be surprised. 

He looked down what Incubus gave him. 

It was a card. 

It wasn’t like his other cards but he still could sense power from it. He flipped it over. 

_Garu_

His fingers ran along the symbol. 

_Hmmm…I suggest that you keep it. We might need it for later._

Huh? He wondered what that meant. 

End of the Deck

Next Chapter: A Break In Play-The Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now, you know how Yu got some of his cards. I like writing Yu and the shadows are fun. I can’t wait to write the Sensei Effect…shadows interactions alone. Anyway, I didn’t get any reviews. No need for me to write a long note! Thanks for the favorites and kudos. I can glad that some of you are still with me! Read and Review if you wish.


	16. A Break In Play:  The Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi pays someone a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares.-Simon Sinek

When Akechi first saw Adachi Tohru, he wasn’t impressed. 

He was an unkempt man with unruly black hair. His clothes looked like that they came from the bottom of a basket. He walked into the room like some sort of street thug. 

He looked like someone that belonged here. 

…And someone that Narukami would never associate with this…man unless a situation called for it. 

And the situation did when Yu went to live with his uncle and his cousin. 

Yu spoke so highly of them. 

He spoke of Nanako and her love of Junes. He spoke of her love for cooking and dancing. How she loved to hang out with him and his friends. Most of all, how she loved her father and her big bro. 

He spoke of his uncle, a small-town police detective. He spoke of his love for good food and his daughter. He spoke on how much his uncle tried after his wife’s death and his daughter’s sickness. 

How much he worried about them once he left….

Most of all, he spoke on how he couldn’t wait to introduce him to his family and friends. 

It wasn’t the typical I know a famous person type of gesture. No, it was a genuine gesture of friendship. 

That act alone left suspicion and like any good detective, he did a background check. As much he was that he had Shido in the palm of his hand, he couldn’t be too cautious. 

He couldn’t have any surprises. 

But he was surprised by what he found. He was….a kindred spirit. 

His parents were gone more often than not. His constant moving around echoed that. He didn’t have a permanent home until his second year of high school. A part of his file was sealed and he couldn’t unlock it yet since it was in the states. Of course, he made a note to himself to look at it later. 

Another matter that interested him was the murders in Inaba. The motive and how the murders were executed were mildly interesting. The biggest draw to him was who caught Tohru. 

Of course, there were other names in the file. He read them all. He knew them all. Not just from the files but Narukami’s stories. Narukami said when they had time, he would take him to the hot springs to relax. Too meet his friends…to show him his favorite fishing spots. 

He almost laughed. 

Narukami was something. He had to know the story. 

How did his friend caught a murderer? 

And was he in danger as well? He had to check. 

On the surface, it should be nothing. He knew better. It wasn’t. Narukami knew Tohru because he was his uncle’s partner. Tohru knew Narukami because he was his uncle’s nephew. 

He had questions….those questions led him here. 

“Who the hell are you?” Tohru said. 

He chuckled. 

“My name is Goro Akechi. Why don’t you have a seat?” 

Tohru looked around for a moment before taking a seat in front of him. He watched as Tohru leaned back in his chair. For a moment, the man had that look in his eye. The same look that his father had. 

Utter disgust. 

In the next moment, Tohru’s face and tone turned into another one that he was familiar with. 

I don’t care why you are here….you are beneath me. 

“So, what do you want, kid? Want to talk about the murders? Done them…the end,” Tohru said. 

He chuckled. 

“Oh, I know about those. I must say the MO was interesting but that isn’t why I am here. Do you know a Yu Narukami?” 

There was a flick of recognition then that look returned.

“What do you want with the kid?” Tohru said. 

“So, you do know him,” He said.

“I met the kid through my partner. Yu is his nephew after all. No big deal.”

“No big deal? I believe that he had a doing in your capture.”

While he didn’t show it, he enjoyed the moment when Tohru’s face fell. 

“I made a mistake. The kid got lucky.”

“According to your file, you left no evidence of your little…adventures.” 

“Like I said luck…what’s wrong? Want to find why I did it? Hell, if I was out of here, I would probably hang you right up there. You have the look,” Tohru said with a smirk. 

He would love to wipe that smirk off of this worm’s face but he needed to know something first. Narukami was a kinder soul to deal with such a man. 

“I know why you did it. Tell me about how Yu Narukami caught you.”

“I made a mistake. Damn bastard caught on. A rookie mistake that him and his little group caught on too.” 

Oh, he knew about them…very interesting on how they met especially when he heard it from Narukami. 

“Oh? What was the mistake?” 

The worm laughed. 

“Left him some letters. The brat isn’t dumb. He put two and two together. I got to say…I didn’t expect him do it. No matter what I said or did…he came at me. Hell…The brat has balls.”

This scum did have a point. Narukami is something. 

“Thank you for your time. It is most insightful.”

“I told you nothing.” 

“No…you told me everything. Narukami was able to beat you because of your ego. You are much like a king stabbed in his back because he forgot to take the knife from his servant Of course, you are here. You will always be here. One more question before I leave…would you do another murder again if you had the chance too?” 

Tohru frowned for a moment.

Silence. 

He got up from his chair and hummed softly as he left the room. 

It might take some work on his part. His dear father hated it when he worked outside of his “rules.” Tohru was no threat to them. 

Still…he would be a terrible friend if he didn’t to give Narukami a birthday gift.

He couldn’t have that, could he?

End of The Hunger

Next Chapter: The (Un) Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Writing Akechi was hard for me since he is so damn creepy but his friendship with Yu is interesting. Here is someone who genuine wants a friendship and his first reaction to looking their background. It will be interesting to see where it goes when Yu finds out about his “other” job. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, kudo, favorites, and everything you guys leave me. I love it. Read and review if you wish.


	17. The (Un) Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu meets some familiar and unfamiliar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbetaed.

Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.-Virgil

“You know…you could say no,” Yu said over the phone. 

“And have the press haggle me so more, my friend? I think not,” Akechi said with the sigh. 

The last couple of weeks, Akechi looked like Naoto did after working a case for too long. He almost went down to the station a few times to bring him home or bring him food. Akechi insisted that he was fine but…he was worried. 

“There are others who could do it.”

“There is but…now that the thieves left their mark again. The press wants my opinion.”

“They have a lot of those even without you. Not always a good thing.”

“You spoke no truer words. Most of all, they will spin their trust along with the lies. As much I disagree with the Thieves, I despise injustice. They spread it like a wildfire.” 

He can definitely understand Goro’s point of view there. He has seen it with Rise and Naoto. He knew that his friends tried not to let it get to them but…sometimes…

He saw it in their faces…the tension in their eyes and how they tried to brush it off. 

That is why they try so hard to make a home for them when they are there since their jobs don’t offer such a safe haven. 

“Good luck…you are going to need it. Wait…what time is the interview?”

“It is in afternoon sometime…I am not sure on the date yet but why?” 

“Most of my classes end by the afternoon. I will swing by and we can go and eat lunch after the interview.” 

“Yu…you don’t have too. It is too far.”

“I haven’t been that side of the city. It will be nice to explore. Besides, I heard there is a pancake place there. It is supposed to be as good as ones in the states. That is kind of hard to beat. I would like to see if they are up to the challenge.”

Akechi laughed. 

“That is sort of challenge that we should test.” 

“It is.” 

“I will text the time and date. I am looking forward to it.” 

“The same.”

“Bye.” 

“Bye.” 

He lifted the phone to end the phone call. A minute later, his phone started ring again. He looked at the name and laughed. 

He hit the button and put his phone back to his ear. 

“Hello, Youske.” 

“Hey, partner. Busy?” 

“Nah…just meeting some friends. Rean wanted to check out a bookstore around here. Although, he did just text saying that he is going to be late because he got catch up helping a friend. Not entirely surprised.” 

“Remind me of someone else that I know.” 

“I am not that bad.” 

“Uh huh.” 

He chuckled softly. 

“What is wrong? I thought that we were doing Facetime tonight with you and Teddie.” 

“Teddie disappeared again.” 

He chuckled. 

“I will call Naoto later.” 

Teddie has a habit popping up unexpectedly especially when he said that he was lonely. He popped up in London because he and Naoto were there. They weren’t quite sure how Teddie did it but as long as he was alright….

That is what was the important thing.

“Thanks, man.”

“So, why else did you call?” 

“Right to point.” 

He hummed softly. 

“How do you do? Go back to school?” 

“A good employer.” 

“YU!”

He chuckled softly. 

“Patience with yourself and others. Realize that you are going to make mistakes and decisions that may not want to make but that is okay.”

“Maybe, I should do Shadow Ops instead. She is hiring, right?” 

He hummed softly. He just needed to wait for his friend to let out what he is bothering him. 

“I don’t think that I should go back to school.”

“Oh?” 

“Dad needed the help. He said that I am a good manager. Maybe, I should stick around, you know.”

“…” 

“But that is a terrible idea, you know. I am overworked and unpaid. I love my dad but I think that it is time, you know. Urgh! So undecisive.” 

He hummed softly. He only had to wait for a moment. 

“You know what?! I am going to do it. I am going to turn in my application.” 

He smiled slightly. 

“Good.” 

“Haha…it is good talking to you, man. You always set me straight. How about you? I have been reading about the whole Thieves. It has been wild there.” 

“Yes, it is.” 

“Kind of strange. That is all everyone has been talking about. I want to hear about Rise’s new movie. She won’t tell me or the others. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise. All that I hear about our thieves.”

“Rise said the same thing.”

“Hmmm…”

“It is going to get more interesting soon since they are all over the news again.” 

“You think…man…you always have all of the excitement.”

“Not always a good thing,” He said with a laugh. 

“Man…you’re right. Damn it…my shift is about to start. Talk to you tonight?”

“Of course.” 

“Okay…bye, partner.” 

“Bye.” 

He ended the phone call and looked up to see a woman. She looked horrified at him from across the street. He looked around to see if she was looking at him. 

Oh…she was. 

He looked for a moment then crossed the street. 

“Are you okay?” 

The woman blinked at him. She had purple eyes, long blonde hair, and wears a big navy-blue headband. She wore a necklace with a small red jewel resembling a teardrop. Her outfit was interesting too. 

She was wearing a clock dress?

“Oh..oh…I am sorry. I am so sorry. I should…I should…but I saw the chains. I…you aren’t safe. Not at all.” 

“Oh?” He said in confusion. 

“Oh, I am sorry. My name is Chichya Mifane, a fortune teller.” She said with a bow. 

“Oh.” 

Margaret has definitely shared her thoughts on fortune tellers. Not always kindly…

They didn’t always talk about personas and fusions when he was in the Velvet Room. 

“I saw you…you are bond in chains. So many chains. It is almost choking you. I have something to protect you. A holy stone! Please, sir, I beg of you!”

Margaret would definitely have words for her. 

“No thank you. I am good.” 

“No…no…you can’t be. You will die,” Mifane said as tears formed in her eyes. 

Wait…was she crying? 

He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.  
“It’s okay.” 

She jerked at his touch. 

“No, it isn’t…” 

“Do you have a practice deck?” 

He learned from Margaret that some fortune tellers don’t like for others to touch their cards. So, they will have a secondary deck. 

“Yes…”

“Can I show you something?” 

Mifane nodded her head in confusion and headed toward a table that was nearby. She took a seat and got out a deck of cards from her bag. He followed her and took a seat across from her. He picked up deck and started to shuffle the cards. 

_It is the question is how the deck is laid. Only fakes and fools lay down the cards without a purpose._

He grinned softly as Margaret’s voice rang in his head. He laid down the cards in Celtic Cross like she taught him. 

“I believe that you have heard the journey of the fool?”

She nodded her head but she looked so unsure. 

He smiled brightly as he flipped over the first card. It doesn’t surprise him too much when he saw the Fool card. 

“The fool represents the journey and infinite possibilities in that journey. Not all of the time we follow the journey. Sometimes, the fool takes on the other characteristics of arcana.” 

He flipped over the Tower card. 

“Never bad thing, of course. The fool learned from the others that came in contract with on the journey. Sometimes, the fool will rest and reflect on the past.” 

He flipped over the hanged man card next. 

_I thought that I taught you better than this. A little flare perhaps?_

“Sometimes, the fool will also reflect the future,” He said as he flipped over the judgement card. 

“The fool isn’t perfect. The mistakes happen.” 

Death.

Temperance.

“But it is important to let those mistakes happen and learn from them. To grow with them.” 

He flipped over some more cards. 

Justice. 

Magician. 

Star.

“Because of that growth…it will help that fool make it to the destination. A little wise…a little more bruised…but happier. So, you said that you saw me in chains? Those are only part of the journey. Because in the end…I will promise you. I will break free,” He said as he flipped over the last card. 

World. 

He got up from his chair and bow slightly. 

“But I do thank you for the warning. I will keep it in mind,” He said with a grin. 

He turned away with the fortune teller’s face in awe and Margaret laughing in his head. 

-P4P5P4-

When he opened the door to his apartment, he heard a loud crash. His hand reached for his phone then a familiar voice stopped him.

“I can cook, thank you beary much! And I want to cook for sensei!”

“You can barely manage water, sir. I do not want you to kill him with your terrible cooking skills!”

“I will not!” 

“Will too!” 

He walked into kitchen to see Teddie and Theo arguing. They were covered in flour in the middle of his kitchen. He wasn’t quite sure why Teddie…okay, he knew why he was there but…Theo? What was he doing here? Last time he heard, Theo was with Elizabeth. 

He wondered what happened. 

“WILL NOT!” 

“WILL TOO!” 

He watched in amusement as he watched Theo pointed a frying pan at Teddie. 

Guess it was take out tonight. 

End of The (Un) Familiar Faces

Next Chapter: Break In Play: The Sensei Effect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: No, Yu didn’t break any of the rules of his contract with fake Igor because he didn’t invite them. Yes, I do know the events of arena but keep in mind, he isn’t going to spill details about the tv world thus the silent response at the end of the last chapter. I also finished majority of the Sensei Effect and following chapter, the Conversation which large chapters in itself. I still want to go back and add more details to both chapters. Read and review if you wish. 
> 
> Fun Research Fact: Some forture tellers have multiple deck of cards depending on the situation and personal preference.


	18. Break in Play:  The Sensei Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shadows are acting strange and Ren is about to find out why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A good teacher is a determined person.- Gilbert Highet

The shadows were acting strange. 

Okay, shadows are already strange but stranger than normal. 

First off, the only angry or strong shadows would attack them. The other shadows would either run away, give him gifts or talk…a lot. 

“LaTe. So LaTe. No GO! SeNseI!,” Slime said as it passed them by. 

“Who is he?” Ann said. 

“I don’t know. Someone important, I guess?” He said. 

Then they met the pixie…

“You know that isn’t how you talk to a lady,” Pixie said to Ryuji. 

“But you aren’t a lady,” He said. 

He and Ann made a face when the Pixie slapped him. 

“OUCH!” 

“Don’t insult the shadows, Skull,” Mona said with a smirk. 

The pixie huffed. 

“Sensei would never talk to me like that,” Pixie said with her hands on her hips. 

“Sensei? Who is that?” Ann asked. 

“A better man than you lot,” Pixie said as she turned and disappeared into the tunnels. 

“Sensei? I am curious on who that is,” Yusuke said. 

He closed his eyes for a moment. 

_Do you guys know who Sensei is?_

In his head, he heard silence before Arsene spoke. 

_None here heard of this name._

He sighed softly. He knew it was because a lot of his new masks came from the latest palace and not Mementos. 

_I wonder who he is. He seemed to be a nice fellow from what the other shadows said._

_I bet that he is a cutie_

He shook his head as Nekomata and Angel talk among themselves. 

The next shadow that they came across was when they came down the stairs. An Incubus was hovering by the foot of the stairs. He was frowning and staring at the stairs. 

“You know that I am not 100% sure if sensei went this way. I wished that Lilim or Black Frost were here. They would know where he is,” Incubus said with a huff. 

“If it helps, we didn’t see him when we were upstairs,” Ann said. 

“That does help, kid! Thanks! Here.” Incubus said as he approached Ann and dropped a piece of candy in her hand.

“Uhh…you’re welcome?” Ann said in confusion. 

Incubus smiled then turned around. He watched as the shadow disappeared into the tunnels. 

“Now, I really want to meet this sensei fellow,” Yusuke said. 

“Honestly, this is so weird. We should be cautious. We have no idea who this sensei is. For all we know, he could be the man in the black mask,” Morgana said. 

“I don’t know. I don’t think that shadows would be so excited to see someone who is trying to kill them,” He said. 

“It could be a lure!” 

“Maybe.”

“No reason to hang out here, man. Lets go. We have some requests to finish up,” Ryuji said. 

“Aww…look at Skull. He is being all serious,” Morgana said in a mocking tone. 

“Shut up, man!” 

“Come on, you two,” Ann said in a huff. 

“Yes, Lady Ann,” Morgana said as he turned into a van. 

He shook his head as they boarded onto Morgana. God, that is still so weird. 

Ann slipped into the driver’s seat and he slipped in the passenger seat. The others moved to the back. Once everyone was on board, Morgana purred softly before started driving down the dark tunnels. 

“You know…Mementoes would make a fine subject for a painting,” Yusuke said.

“You would totally go with the weird, man,” Ryuji said. 

“I think that it is a cool idea,” He said. 

He saw Yusuke’s paintings. It would be cool to see what he came up with. 

He opened his mouth to ask a question when he hear a horrible scream. 

“Mona!” He shouted. 

“On it!” 

Morgana twisted down another tunnel and bolted toward the scream. Another scream echoed through the tunnel. 

“Turn right! Turn right!” Ann shouted. 

“OKAY! OKAY!” 

Mona turned right down another tunnel. Where the tunnel started to turn, they were greeted by the sight of a white lion like shadow on top of Incubus. A Lilim was throwing rocks at the white lion shadow nearby but the creature remained unmoved from his spot. 

“Get off of him you big meanie!” Lilim shouted as she threw another rock at the lion. 

“Please don’t eat me or Lilim!” Incubus shouted as he covered his head. 

“Hey! Leave him be!” He shouted. 

The shadow turned his attention away from Incubus and toward them. 

Everyone stumbled out of the van and got into a fighting position. Out of the corner of his eye, Morgana returned to his normal form. 

“What the hell is that?!” Ryuji said. 

“I sense a powerful shadow. Be careful.” Morgana said. 

“Okay…everyone spread out. We don’t know what we are up against,” He ordered. 

“I will be back, Incubus!” Lilim shouted before throwing one last rock at the shadow. 

_Fragile little thing but she has spirit._

“Can you sense anything else, Mona?” He asked. 

Mona shook his head. 

“No…sorry.”

“Okay…Fox, speed us up. Skull, get ready with an attack on my go. Panther, you are the back up. Mona, get ready to heal,” He said.

“Gotcha, Joker,” Skull said. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the others follow his orders. He felt the familiar sensation of the Fox’s spell cover his body. He felt his body become lighter. 

He drew his blades and rushed toward the shadow. It let out a roar when he cut into its fur then he quickly jumped away. 

“Skull now!” 

Skull quickly followed him behind with his bat. 

The shadow let out another roar then its yellow eyes started to glow. 

“Everyone back up!” 

The shadow roared again as burst of fire rush toward them. 

He tumbled to the ground…he felt the heat brush against his jacket. That was close. 

“Shit…that fire was strong!” Skull shouted. 

As he jumped to his feet, he saw ice form under the shadow’s feet.

“HEE HO!” 

In mere seconds, the ground was covered in ice. The shadow tried to get away but slipped. He looked from the lion to a shadow that kind of looked like a Jack Frost but black. 

“HEE HO!” The strange shadow shouted as he rose his hand in the air. The ice rose from the ground to form a tree around the lion. A second later, the ice shattered around the lion. 

The lion collapsed for a moment before it rose to its feet again. 

“Shit…that thing isn’t going down.” Skull said. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something…no, someone rush toward the shadow. The newcomer was slim and tall. He wore a buttoned-down blue shirt and black pants. Most of all, he had a sword that slice through the shadow. He couldn’t really see the guy’s face. 

The shadow roar as it finally collapsed to the ground. The stranger put away his sword as the shadow disappeared into a smoke. 

“Wow…you are awesome, Sensei!” The Incubus said in awe. 

“You should be thanking Black Frost too,” The stranger said. 

“Thanks, little guy,” Incubus said as he got up from the ground. He floated over and gave the Black Frost a high five. 

His eyes widen slightly as the guy’s face came into view. 

“You are the guy from the job board!”

The guy frowned for a moment and stared at him for the longest. 

“Oh…you’re the guy with the talking cat!” The stranger said with a smile. 

“Wait a minute…how…YOU ARE THE MAN IN THE BLACK MASK!” Mona said. 

The guy looked away from him to Mona. 

Poor guy looked confused. 

“How many people have you killed? And you have an army of minions?! It was worse than I thought!”

“Take that back! Sensei would never do such a thing!” Lilim shouted.

“You got it all wrong!” Incubus shouted! 

“Hee Ho!” 

Black Frost’s eyes started to glowing. 

Crap…this isn’t going to end well at all. 

He needed to stop this now. 

The stranger’s voice cut through the fighting like his blade. 

“That is enough.”

Mona and the shadows stopped fighting and looked over at the stranger. 

“What evidence do you have that suggested that I am this man in the black mask?” The stranger asked in curiosity. 

“You are down here…and talking to shadows. You are only one that we have met so far,” Mona said in a huff. 

The stranger tilted his head for a moment then he turned to Incubus. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

“HEY! I was talking to you!” 

“I am fine, Sensei,” Incubus said. 

The stranger looked over his shoulder to look at Mona. Arsene spoke softly into his head. 

_He will not heed._

“You accuse me of being something at your convenience. You offer nothing but words with no evidence to back them up. You don’t desire truth…you desire lies. Until you wish to learn the truth, I will be on my way,” The stranger said before turning back around to look at the trio of shadows. 

Damn….He has never seen Mona totally dismissed like that before and judging by Mona’s face…neither has he. 

“Let’s head back. Hopefully, there are snacks left for us.”

“Lets!” Lilim said as she clapped her hands. 

“Man, they probably got all of the cookies.” Incubus said sadly. 

“I have an extra box in my bag,” The stranger said. 

“YAY!” 

“HEE HO!” 

The stranger and the shadows started walking down the tunnel. Black Frost grabbed the stranger’s hand. Before they disappeared into the shadows, Black Frost turned around and stick out his tongue at them.

There was a long silence between the group. 

“Well…shit. He told you off,” Skull said. 

“HEY!” Mona said. 

“He is right, you know. You accuse him with no evidence,” Fox said. 

“That wasn’t very nice, Mona. We should hear him out,” Panther said. 

“But…But…” Mona said. 

“I agree. Besides, I don’t think that he is the man in the black mask. He was wearing regular clothes and I didn’t see him use a persona. Not that he needed one…did you see him with that sword and those shadows jump over themselves to help him. We will probably be in his way. I am curious on how he does it. Half of the time, they barely listen to us,” He added. 

“Yes, I was wonder that too,” Fox said thoughtfully. 

“All in favor of talking to the stranger and not piss him off. Say hell yes,” Skull said.

“I agree.” 

“Me too.” 

“I am totally in agreement.” 

“Fine….but I don’t like it.”

End of The Sensei Effect

Next Chapter: The Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I am very sorry for my late update but my dad passed away on Halloween. So, writing the next chapter was hard for me. So…I was able to get it done. Few things to keep in mind. This happened before the tv station. So far, they have only seen Yu. Mona is Mona. As much as he grew on me later in the game, he was very much a jerk. Yu doesn’t have time for that. Anyway, I want to thank you for the wonderful support. You guys are awesome. Read and review if you wish.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and The Thieves have a talk. Mona continues to open his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter isn't betad.

The world is like a reverse casino. In a casino, if you gamble long enough, you're certainly going to lose. But in the real world, where the only thing you're gambling is, say, your time or your embarrassment, then the more stuff you do, the more you give luck a chance to find you.   
-Scott Adams

“Are you okay, Sensei?” Lilim asked. 

“Do you want me to get Slime to eat them? Because he will!” Incubus said. 

“Hee HO!” Black Frost added. 

“No…No…it just worried me that they thought of me as some type of killer,” He said as he shook his head no. 

_You spoke wisely._

He nodded his head. He could understand why the cat said that because he was probably the only person that they have seen down here. 

_Can we talk about the elephant in the room?_

He made a face at High Pixie.

_And you are surprised by his actions?_

Kohryu groaned softly. Then Tam Lin and Isis got involved. 

_No! But…he could have gotten killed. He doesn’t have us anymore!_

_He is a warrior. He adapted to the situation._

_And nearly got killed in the progress._

_Killed? He didn’t even get a scratch on him. He did a wonderful job of using his strengths to defeat his enemy. We have trained him well. He is no weakling._

_You aren’t thinking logically. He could have been killed._

_Logical has nothing to do with instinct and ability._

He pressed his hand against his head. 

That is enough. The personas in his head fighting stopped. The other persona grumbled. 

_Quite the gamble, boy. I like it._

Oh? 

The other persona didn’t say anything. 

“You aren’t a killer. They are just meanies!” Lilim said angrily.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to have Slime eat them?” Incubus said. 

He chuckled. 

“No, it is a nice thought. I don’t want Slime to get a stomach ache.” 

“Oh, right.” 

He shook his head as he listened to the other shadows chat around him. He hummed softly as they walked down the dark tunnels. He was glad that his little shadow friends were okay. After few minutes, they made it to their spot where the other shadows were waiting for them. Yaskini spotted them first. 

“SENSEI!” Yaskini shouted. 

The other shadows turned around and rushed toward them. 

“INCUBUS! Are you okay?”

“Black Frost! Lilim!” 

“Sensei, we save you some snacks!” 

He watched as they gathered around them. Hariti checked Incubus for any injuries. Hua Po and Yaskini huddled around Black Frost and Lilim. 

He grinned as he walked over to the edge of the platform. He pulled himself up and take a seat next to Slime. Slime came up to him and spilt out a package of cookies. He patted Slime’s head.

It was a good thing that the cookies were still in its wrapper. 

“Thank you.”

“WeLCome!” 

In distance, he heard the sound of a car. He frowned for a moment. There are cars here? Sure enough, a strange car came into view. The car came to a stop and the people came out. Suddenly, the van turned into the talking cat creature from before. 

Okay, now that is new. 

“Oh my god, he has more!” The strange talking cat shouted.

He tilted his head to get a better look at the talking cat….Mona? He thought that it was Morgana? He was shorter than the rest. He wore a black mask that almost covered his entire face and a little yellow bandana around his neck. 

His shadow friends broke off their conversations and stared at the newcomers. Lilim hissed. 

“MONA!” The lady in the red mask said. 

He titled his head slightly. That outfit can’t be comfortable. He remembered Rise complaining to him about spandex for a week when she did a special. 

Wait…does she has a tail and a whip? 

“What!? I am just saying that he has more! We should be careful.” 

“Man…shut up before his shadows eat you,” The blonde one said. 

He turned away from the cat lady to the blonde one with the skull as a mask. He looked like he got lost in Hot Topic. Those pants can’t be comfortable. 

How on earth do they fight in those outfits?! 

Black Frost’s eyes started to glow again. He rose his hand slightly. 

“Lets hear them out, okay? Why don’t you guys come over and finished the snacks? ” He said 

“HE HO!”

“Okay, Sensei.” 

“We don’t know that yet. Come here, Black Frost.” 

Black Frost and the other shadows came over. He leaned over and grabbed Black Frost then set him down next to him. The other shadows went back to the snacks left by his bag. 

“If he wasn’t the man in the black mask, he would stop them!” 

“Your comments are not going to endear him or his shadows,” The one with the fox mask said. 

The one with fox mask’s outfit seem more comfortable with baggy shirt and pants….but what is with the tail? 

He is beginning to see a trend here. 

“Mona…let me talk to him,” Ren said. 

Ren’s outfit was completely black but looked more comfortable than the others. He wasn’t sure how wise the jacket was to whatever they were doing. He could see easily getting caught on something. 

“But….Joker….” Mona said. 

Joker? Mona? Okay…now, he was confused. 

“I thought that your name was Ren.” He said in confusion. 

The others stared at him in shock. 

“How did you know my name?” Ren said. 

“When you and Morgana were talking by the job board…wait? Or is it Mona?” He asked. 

“You heard him?”

“Yes.” 

“Didn’t you find that…strange?” 

“Not really.” 

_They don’t know what to make of you._

_Hell, I don’t know what to make him. I am inside the kid’s head._

Ren turned from him to the others. They started to huddled together to talk. He hummed softly as he opened the pack of cookies and gave one to Slime. 

“ThAnKs!” Slime said. 

He smiled as he listened. Whoever they are…they are terrible at being quiet. 

“What should we do with him?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“I mean…we can’t leave him down here. It is dangerous.” 

“I don’t think he has anything to worry about.”

“Still…it isn’t safe.” 

“Good luck on telling him that.” 

“That isn’t important! He is…OUCH! Okay…Okay. I want to know if he has seen anything or heard anything about the man in the black. Probably not but sti….” 

“The shadows are afraid of him. They ran when they sense him. They said that he left them alone for the most part. He often very focus on what he is doing down here. They said that he always caused changes. Not the good type according to them. Sometimes, they said that it felt like an earthquake.”

The group stopped talking and turned back to look at him. 

“They told you that?” Ren asked. 

“Yes.”

“I can imagine that the palace shadows and the shadows from here would be different.” 

“Guess so? Never been to a palace before.” 

He wondered what these palaces look like and what a palace was. 

“What are they?” 

“A palace is where people with large enough desires form their own unique place, which is modeled after their own distorted desires.”

“Hmmm…so, it is like the tv world.” 

“There is no such thing as a world inside of tv,” Mona said. 

“And there isn’t a world under the subway either.” 

“He has a point, Mona,” Ren said. 

“What is the tv world like?” The lady in the red outfit said. 

“Foggy…until someone get throw in. Instead of their large desires, it is the person’s suppress desires. The tv world shape its self around it. Well, that is before we clean up. It is nice right now. Green fields…running steams. It is beautiful. We still have to keep an eye on it because other forces tend not leave it alone.” 

“What kind of forces?” Ren asked. 

“Ones that like for you to fight to the death. There are the dancing ones too.” 

He would really like to forgot that one. 

The group stared at him for a moment and started talking among themselves again. 

“I don’t know why we keep asking him these questions. He is crazy!” The angry talking cat said. 

“I could stick my hand into a tv if you wish.”

“You stick your hand into a tv?!” The one with skull mask said. 

“How else would I get inside?” 

One with the skull mask’s mouth dropped. Ren and the one with the tail just started at him. The one with the fox mask looked at him in awe. The angry little talking cat stomped his paws on the ground. 

“YOU ARE LYING! 

“Are you calling Sensei a lair?!” 

“HEE HO!” 

“We let your tongues run long enough. It is time to end this!” 

“MONA!” 

He rose his hand to silence his shadow friends. He didn’t want any fighting. 

He frowned for a moment. In his head, he was trying to figure out why Mona was so against him. He tried to remember the conversations that he heard.

Oh….

“It is okay not to know everything. I don’t know everything either…even if they do call me Sensei.”

Mona’s eyes widened and his body jerked. 

“That isn’t it!”

“He makes a very excellent point.” 

“FOX!” 

“I think that Fox is right,” The Skull one said. 

“SKULL!” 

“Okay…may I ask you a question?” He said as he watched Skull and Mona argue about him. 

“Sure?” Ren said. 

“What is with the names?” 

“We are thieves and we use codenames while we are here. Joker is mine and Mona is his. He is Fox. She is Panther and he is Skull,” Ren said as he pointed to everyone. 

“Is there a reason?” 

“We do it because this is the cognitive world or the Metaverse as we call it. We have no idea what our real names could do in that world.”

“That is smart. Oh, do you guys want some cookies? I know fighting these places can be exhausting,” He said as he offered some cookies from the bag. 

“Tell me about it,” Panther said as she took a cookie from the bag. Ren took one as well then Fox took the whole bag and started eating like no tomorrow. 

Someone was hungry. 

“HEY! You are supposed to share!” Lilim shouted. 

“I am too!” Fox said.

“No, you aren’t! You took the whole thing!”

“I was going to give them back!”

“An empty bag!”

He sighed. Out of the corner, he saw Black Frost go and get his bag. Few moments later, he returned with his bag. He grinned and patted Black Frost on the head. He took the bag and pulled out another pack of cookies. 

“That is enough you two. I have a pack left,” He said as he gave Lilim the pack of cookies. 

Lilim and Fox stopped fighting. 

“Awww….sorry, Sensei.” Lilim said with a bow 

“I am sorry, Sensei. That was very rude of me,” Fox said with a bow as well.

“It is okay. You burn a lot of energy going through these places. You need it more than me,” He said with a smile. 

“I am always so tired after you know…Am I doing something wrong? Mona explained that I am not but…” 

“You aren’t doing anything wrong. How long have you had your persona?” 

“A few months or so…” 

“Your sense of self has been awakened. You are still adjusting. Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? Experience will help. You will get less tired but it lingered. Just clear out your schedule. Make sure that you get plenty of rest and food at the end of day. You will be fine. If not, just take a few days off to recover. Don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Yes, Sen…Sensei,” Panther said with a bow.

“What if you have multiple personas?” Ren asked softly. 

_How are you going to answer that one?! Remember the rules!_

“I am somewhat familiar with them. What is your question?” 

Ren looked down at the ground and scratched the back of his head. It was like that he was embarrassed by the question. 

“It is nothing. Sorry to bring it up.” 

He tilted his head slightly and waited for a moment. 

“Man, you should totally ask him. Sensei seem to know a lot of stuff!” Skull said behind Ren. 

Oh, so, that they stopped fighting and…Mona has a piece of cloth wrapped around his month. 

Mona gave Skull and him evil looks. 

“Maybe another time,” He said. 

Ren grinned. 

“I will give you my number and you guys can call me anytime if you have questions.” 

“That would be wonderful,” Fox said. 

“Why are you down here anyway, Sensei?” Skull asked. 

“I am checking out the shutdowns but the more and more that I am down here…I am beginning to see what I have to caught whoever is causing it in the act. This place changed too quickly to pin point a source. You?” 

“We are changing the hearts of rotten adults!” 

His eyes widen slightly. 

“So the people on tv…” 

“Yes, those are hearts that we changed,” Ren said with nod. 

“Remarkable,” He said thoughtfully. 

He had something else to think about it. He made a note to research a little later. 

“YOU GUYS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? He knew about personas…Hell…” Mona shouted. 

Someone got the piece of cloth out of his month. 

“Yes, Sensei…why didn’t you use your persona?” Fox asked. 

“How do you use your personas?” He asked. 

“Through our masks…”

“That explained it…I use it through a card. I think that there are different rules that apply to each world.” 

“Oh, that is why you don’t have a mask or an outfit!” Panther said. 

“And outfit?” 

“Well…it came with the mask.” 

…Well, he was sticking the glasses…

“It is how you view yourself as a thief,” Mona added. 

“Oh…that explained a lot. I don’t view myself as a thief,” He said 

“HEE HO!” 

“Right, we should leave. The Reaper is coming soon,” He said. 

“Oh, right!” 

He said good-bye to his shadow friends and climbed into the talking cat/van which now the strangest thing in his life. 

He has got to say…it made travel easier. 

Once they made to the entrance, he glanced at the Velvet Room and the two attendants staying by its door. 

He made a note to tell Theo later. 

“So…what are you seeking then?” Mona asked with a grumble. 

“The truth.” 

End of The Conversation 

Next Chapter: The Former

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. So sorry for the lack of updates but I am back! I was stuck on a chapter then I realize that it didn't fit quite yet. So, I broke it apart sort of speak into two chapters. Once it figured that out, it took me a day to write the chapter. XD Go figure, right? The Mona/Yu conflict will go on a few more chapters before Yu actually do something about it (It won't be pretty). AP...I totally going to steal your Skull comment because it made me laugh so much. So, again...thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys are totally awesome. So, read and review if you wish.


	20. The Former

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu learns a lot from a very emotional attendant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbetaed. You have been warned.

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.-Richard Bach

Once he got Teddie to bed, he joined Theo in the kitchen. Theo was sitting at the counter with a cup in his hands. He was staring at the cup like it held the answers to the universe. 

“Theo?” He said as he took a seat across from him. 

“I failed, sir. I am so terrible sorry,” Theo said as he stared at the mug. 

“Theo…”

“I failed…I failed…I failed my master. I failed my family. I failed them all. Can you forgive me, sir?” 

Theo was babbling and sobbing into his mug. He reached over and grabbed Theo’s hand. 

“I failed you too. I failed the boy too. I failed everyone. I am a worthless attendant. I failed…” 

“Theo. Calm down.” 

Theo stopped crying and looked at him with sad eyes. 

“Tell me what happened.” 

“I left my sisters in the progress of their search. So, I traveled for a bit. New Orleans had some fabulous food for me to try. Soon enough, I returned to my Master’s side to find a fake. What a horrible creature to think that he could fool me. An attendant!” Theo said as he grabbed a bottle from under the counter beside him. 

Where did that bottle come from? 

He watched as Theo pour the liquid into his mug and set the bottle beside the cup. He took a huge sip from the mug. 

“I demanded to know where my Master was. He laughed at me. LAUGHED!” Theo shouted as he got up from the table and slammed his fists down. 

“That was an insult. Insult! Then I asked where my sister was. Lavenza is still so very young. I was worried. She just started her training and to think of that fake doing something to her makes my blood boil.”

He didn’t remember seeing an attendant by the door. He had no clue what happened to his sister. 

“He said that he was taking very good care of her. My poor sister…I am so sorry…” Theo said as he wept. Gently, he squeezed Theo’s hand. 

“Theo…what happened next?” 

“He said that I had a choice. I could leave and memory wipe of this event or I could “help.” I would never help such a creature. So…I…and he….” Theo said as he sat down again and took a long drink from his mug. 

He watched as Theo cried again into his mug. 

“Theo?” 

Theo continued to wept as he let go of his hand. His heart broke for Theo. 

_You are never going to get any answers out of him like this._

He wondered how Igor dealt with them. Igor never really said anything to Margaret while he was in the Velvet Room. He could tell that it was all about his presence. He took a deep breath and took on the pose that Igor often had in the Velvet Room. 

“Theodore, that is enough.” He said calmly. 

Theo stopped crying and stared at him. 

“Sir?” 

“Tell me the rest.” 

“Yes, sir. So, I tried to fight the creature. I tried so hard and I couldn’t. He tore me apart then shattered my powers. Lock them away and he laughed. He laughed at me and called me useless then he tossed me out. I wandered and wandered.”

“Is that how you found me?” 

“My powers may be shattered but I still have some of my senses. I can sense that he had done to you. Oh, sir…what have you done?”

“Kept myself in the game.” 

“Sir?” 

“There are rules that I must follow. So, I can’t speak about what happened.”

Theo stared at him for a moment and wept again. 

_Honestly…_

He had a stressful day. 

_I thought that this guy was supposed to be all put together._

Very stressful day for him. 

He got up from the counter and goes around the counter. He gently grabbed Theo’s shoulder and guided him toward the sofa. 

“A good night’s sleep will help. We will talk about it again in the morning.”

“Sir…what are you planning?” Theo said as he put his hand on Theo’s shoulder to get him to sit down. Theo sat down on the sofa. He turned around and walked away for a moment. He went to the hall closet to get a blanket and a pillow. He returned to see Theo still on the sofa. He set the pillow on the sofa next to him. 

“Tonight…I plan to go to bed. Tomorrow, I am going to take you and Teddie out into the city. Maybe invited some of my friends. Maybe, get you some clothes. Then we move from there.” He said as he wrapped the blanket around Theo. 

“Sir? How can you be so calm about this?” 

“Because I don’t know what he is planning. He is throwing around a lot of smoke and mirrors at the moment. Acting too soon could be dangerous.”

“Acting too late is dangerous as well.” 

He pressed his lips together. 

No, the fake Igor already said that he was still waiting for other players to show up for his game. So, whatever it is…it has to be big but he wasn’t acting…yet.

“True but right now, I am going to watch.”

Theo gave him this odd look. 

“You remind me of my Master.” 

He sighed. 

“Go to sleep, Theo.” 

“Sir?” 

“Yes.” 

“Can I call you Master until my Master comes back?” 

“Go to sleep.”

He heard Isis whispered into his ear. 

_You didn’t tell him that you plan to rip him apart._

-CATCH-

He felt the familiar pull of the Velvet Room. He made out the fake sitting on the desk again. He didn’t move to approach him instead he leaned against the wall. 

“Welcome again, my friend. I see that Theodore has found you,” The fake said with a smile. 

_I really want to punch his big nose._

_Me too!_

_Count me in._

He smiled softly at his personas. 

“More like you sent him.” 

The fake Igor’s eye brow rose. 

“Oh?” 

He wasn’t going to spell it out for him. He found that gods…or powerful creatures tend to follow the same MO. 

They liked to cause despair. What would cause despair and hopelessness than once a powerful being broken. He remembered one conversation that he had with Izanagi after everything.

_Despair is like a poison. Slow and deadly._

Is that why they used it? To break us? 

_There is no greater defeat than by your own hand._

He stared at the fake long enough for the fake’s smile to drop slightly. 

“No matter what you thought, my boy. I didn’t send him. I do give him some credit. He has some strength in him. Enough to find you. Of course, you can use him as you see fit since you didn’t break any rules with his appearance. I can imagine that he will be useful in some way to you.”

_Asshole._

The unknown persona laughed at High Pixie’s words. 

“I know. Is that why you summon me or you want to talk about your app?”

“Ahh…yes. You have discovered that world now. Beautiful, is it not?”

Beautiful? 

_Creepy more like it._

“Interesting is the word that I was looking for.”

“That is. I summon you to make sure that you clear understanding of the rules. You are starting to meet the players. I would hate for something to happen if you aren’t careful.” 

_Dick._

“Of course. I would like some clarification on how we know who is the winner and who is the loser.” 

“Quite simple. You or I are defeated,” the fake said. 

“When I found Igor. You?” He said. 

“When the words of defeat come out of your month.” 

“Anything else?” 

“You are aware of my attendants. Don’t inference with them too much. They have their own role to play.” 

_In other words, he doesn’t want them aware._

He did something to them. 

_Correct._

“I am fine with that as long as they aren’t harming him.” 

“Excellent. Excellent. You have definitely added something to the game. I look forward to it.” 

Cocky asshole. 

“So do I.” 

-P4P5P4-

When he woke up the next morning, he saw Theo standing at the foot of his bed. 

He looked a lot better than last night. 

“Theo…how are you feeling?” 

Theo bowed. 

“I am well, Master. Thank you. Now, breakfast is ready.” 

He sighed. 

He was really hoping that Theo would forget about that. 

End of the Former

Next Chapter: The Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Good, old Theo. Poor old Theo. XD But I have plans and it will be fun. I have been asked about Legend of Heroes cast and their role in the story. A part of me regrets introducing them because I won’t get the focus on them as much as I would like but I know that I have some chapters dedicated just for them and Yu. The reason that I introduce them because if Yu and Rean met, they would totally get along. Again, thank you for the reviews, kudo, favorites, everything! And read and review if you wish.


	21. The Watcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For his first lesson…he watched okay, that wasn’t very remarkable but it was so important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbetaed.

“I don’t know why he is here.” Morgana said as he gave him a look. 

“Will you chill? Sensei is here to watch us. He said that he can’t help us without watching us first.” Ryuji said. 

“Probably to learn all of our secrets!” 

“Dude, I think that he knows all of our secrets already!”

“HA! He doesn’t know how we steal hearts!”

“Not until we show him how we work our magic.” 

“We aren’t going to show him!” 

“Are they always like this?” Yu asked as he watched the pair. 

“Constantly,” Ren said. 

It’s kind of remind him of watching Youske and Chie fight. 

Ah.

Magician and Chariot. 

_So, you are catching on._

Margaret taught me well. 

“You sort learn to tune it out after a while,” Ann said. 

“Is this what you are looking for, Sensei?” Yusuke asked as he pointed ahead. 

He looked around at the open space after Morgana burst opened a set of doors.

“Prefect. Mona, you can stop here,” He said. 

“Why here? There is nothing here.” Morgana said as he stopped. 

The group got out of the van. He watched Mona turned from a van to a talking cat. 

“That is the point. It will give me a chance to watch and not be in the way.” He said.

“I don’t know why you have to watch. We are doing perfectly fine!” Mona said. 

“Well, I don’t think that we know what we are doing. Besides, I asked for his help.”

He remembered that phone call well. 

After they left the Mementos, they exchanged numbers. He also had the chance to watch their outfit changed. 

He was really glad that he only had to deal with glasses. 

Honestly, he thought that was it for now. Maybe, they would call in a week or so. 

But Ann called the next day…

“I want to make sure that I am doing this right,” Ann said over the phone. 

“Excuse me?” He said as he balanced the phone on his shoulder.

“My persona.”

“Ann…I told you…”

“I know what you told me but….” 

He heard that tone before. The self-doubt. The confusion. He felt like that he pulled back in time to his home and his friends. The others looked up to him. He was first. First doesn’t mean best. He guided them just the same like they did him. 

These thieves didn’t have such luxury. 

They have no one to guide them. He doesn’t count that fake. He was probably planning to lead them to ruin. 

Most of all, how long has Ann felt like this?

How long has all of them felt this way? 

“We can do it this afternoon or tomorrow. I can’t do it later in the week because I have plans,” He said. 

“Really! Thanks, Sensei. This afternoon will be great! I will call the others! Oh, Thank you so much!” Ann said in excitement. 

“Lady Ann…” Mona said.

“Okay, what do you want us?” Ann said as she put her hands on her hips. 

“I want to see you guys in combat then we will move from there. I saw a little bit from before. This will allow me to see everything.” He said as he walked away and leaned against one of the large pillars in the area. 

“That makes sense.” 

Morgana grumbled as he turned himself back into a car. The others got into the car. Mona drove around a bit before a shadow appeared. That is when Mona hit the shadow. 

……

Okay, then. 

He watched as the shadow burst into individual shadows. The others jumped out of the van and Mona returned to normal.

After a few minutes of fighting, he figured out. 

With Ann…it was the easiest to identify and the hardest to fix. He heard from the last time they were here and their conversation on the phone. 

He heard it from Yukiko’s voice. 

Self-doubt. 

_“Are you sure that I am doing this right?” Yukiko said as her persona hit the shadow with a fire spell._

_“To me. It looked like that you were doing it right,” He said._

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Pretty sure.”_

_“It looked good to me,” Youske said._

_“Same here,” Chie added._

_“….”_

_“….”_

_“Are you sure?”_

Ryuji was so easy to figure it out. He had the same problem as Chie and in some ways…Kanji. He is so over focus at what he doing that he missed what is going on around him. On the positive, Ryuji and his persona work well together. It is strange. It made him feel like that he was looking into the past. 

_“God damn…stay still!” Chie shouted as her attack missed the shadow._

_“Shadows don’t stay still, Chie,” Yosuke shouted._

_“Well..they better stay still!”_

_“Chie…calm down,” He said._

_“I will calm down once it is dead!”_

_Chie’s next attack hit the shadow hard._

_“SEE! Told you that I would get you!”_

_“Uh…Chie…I think that it is dead,” Yosuke said._

_“NO! It isn’t!”_

_“I would leave it be, Yosuke.” He said as he watched on._

_“I am thinking that you are right, partner.”_

Yusuke was the latest member of their group but he could already see the similarities between him and Naoto. Their moves were prefect but utterly empty. 

_Naoto grumbled to herself._

_“Naoto…is something wrong?” He asked._

_“It is nothing.”_

_“It must be something if it is bothering you.” Kanji added._

_“It just that…my persona. Its speed and agility surpass the others but it lacks something.”_

_“Don’t be so hard on yourself, man. You are new.”_

_“That is the point. I am new and I need to catch up. It is important that…never mind. Right now, there is a group of shadows ahead,” Naoto said._

_“Man…” Kanji said._

_He touched Kanji’s shoulder._

But he wasn’t too worried because he knew from experience that Yusuke will find his fire. Now, Morgana’s problem was similar to Yosuke and Teddie’s problem. They were trying to be everywhere at once.

_“I am coming, Sensei. I am coming!” Teddie shouted as he rushed from behind Chie._

_“Stay there, you stupid bear! I got this! I can attack and provide cover!” Yosuke said._

_“No, Sensei needs me here! I can do both!”_

_“No, Yu needs you there.”_

_“No, I am going there!”_

_“Enough. Yosuke, I want you at the rear because of your weakness to wind. Teddie, I need you on the left with an attack ready. I know that both of you want to provide cover but I need at your positions,” He shouted._

Strangely enough…that didn’t take him that long to straighten out that behavior. 

Okay…punching thing might also play a role. 

Ren’s problem took him a little bit more time to figure out. At first, he thought it was how his masks worked. He had no idea how his masks worked in compensation to his cards. The longer that he watched, the more he realized that wasn’t the case. 

Ren was hesitating and he didn’t know why. 

Hmmm…. 

_He is afraid._

Of what?

_Himself…_

Maybe?

It was something that he had to ask Ren later. 

Now as a team, he could see the kinks. He wasn’t too worried about that since with new members, there was always a shift. The longer the battle went on, the smoother their teamwork went. He was impressed with Ren’s leadership and their teamwork. 

“ALRIGHT! Another bites the dust!” Ryuji shouted in victory as the last shadow disappeared. 

“See? I don’t know why we need that stupid person here. We are perfection!” Morgana said with a grin. 

“I do feel that I am getting better,” Yusuke said. 

“You guys did great,” Ren added. 

“Sensei?” Ann said as she turned to him. 

“As a team, there a few missteps here and there. The longer the battle went on, the more your teamwork came together. Re…Joker? Great job on leading them through that last attack by the way,” He said. 

Ren flushed. 

“Thanks,” Ren said with a mumble.

“Now…individuals…Ann…you are fiery as your persona but you are doubting yourself. Some of your attacks don’t follow through because of that doubt. Is there some disconnect between you and your persona?” He asked. 

“NO! Carmen is awesome! It is me!” 

“Well, maybe…I hope to work with you to find the cause.” 

Ann bowed. 

“Thank you, sensei! I won’t disappoint.” She said. 

“Lady Ann…You don’t believe that…” Morgana said. 

“Okay, I am next!” Ryuji shouted. 

“You and your person work well together. Almost as good as Ren’s personas but…you almost become hyper focus on the battlefield. That shadow’s attack almost took off your head because you were too focus on the other shadow. We are going to work on awareness.” 

“Wow…you notice that from one fight….Damn…” Ryuji said in awe. 

“Okay…he has a point with you but honestly…I could have told…” Morgana snapped at Ryuji. 

“Well…I didn’t ask you.” 

He sighed as Ryuji and Morgana started fighting again. 

“My turn, sensei.” Yusuke said. 

“You are new but your moves are precise and clean. That is very impressive but I get the impression that you are going through the motions. I am not sure if you still trying to figure out everything or it is something else. I hope we can work that out together.” 

“I…Of course, Sensei,” Yusuke said with a bow. 

“Now…Mon…” He said before he was cut off. 

“No, I am not doing anything wrong!” Morgana shouted. 

“I am not…” 

“NO! I am not going to hear this!” Morgana said as he turned into a van and drove off. 

He sighed. 

_You going to have to do something about him._

I know. I know. 

End of The Mirror

Next Chapter: Break in Play: The Pancakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was the chapter that stumped me until it went through a split. The split seemed to be a good thing since the chapter I just finished is my longest chapter to date. A reviewer asked me about Yu’s personas which I thought I touched on but I might have not. I draw from the anime for Yu’s personas. Reason…I am lazy. I have no desire go through 100s of persona to make Yu’s team. So, that is that. Again, thank you for the wonderful support. You guys are awesome! Read and review if you wish.


	22. Break in Play:  The Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say something about pancakes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbetaed...

Ren wasn’t going to lie…but he thought that the tv station would be more exciting. 

It turned out that it was very…boring. 

He and Ryuji had to fight off their yawns. The host was trying to keep them somewhat entertained but it was so boring. It didn’t help that some creepy camera assistant hit on Ann and made them work. 

One thing for sure…he did not want to work in a tv station ever again. 

Then came…Akechi. 

“He heard me!” Morgana shouted. 

“Shh…keep down. And I know.”

“So, we have two suspects now.” 

“I really don’t think that Sensei is the man in the black mask.” 

“You can’t be sure! He is sneaky and…” 

He sighed and shifted the bag on his back. Morgana hasn’t quite let go of the fact that Sensei told him off. 

Morgana also didn’t like that Sensei notice something about their fight in Mementos either. He took off before Sensei could say anything. 

He did wonder on what he was about to say to Morgana. 

“….and thinks that he knows it all.” 

“You know…he did say that he didn’t know everything.” 

“Well….I still don’t trust him.” 

He shook his head. 

“I am thinking after the whole tv station thing is over. We call a group meeting to talk about Akechi.”

“Good idea. Now, lets talk about dinner.” 

“You just ate dinner.” 

“I threw it up!” 

He sighed.

Some days…

-P4P5P4-

The mood after the tv program was somber. Ryuji look like all of the energy was drain from his body. He could see the hard lines on Ann’s face. Morgana was strangely quiet as well. 

“It kinda seem like what he was saying might be right…” Ann said as she stopped for a moment. 

“He made it sound like we’re the baddies. I don’t like it.” Ryuji added.

“But that stuff about the police…Do you think it’s for real?” 

“He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves,” Morgana said. 

“Oh sorry, I gotta got take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I’ll be right back?” Ryuji said.

“Oh my god…I’m going gonna keep going, ok?” Ann said before she turned around and left. 

“Oh, it’s you…!” Akechi called out. 

He turned to see Akechi walking toward him. 

“I’m glad that I found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis…,” Akechi said. 

….? What in the world is he talking about?

“Haha…my apologies. What I mean is that our discussion is quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier. Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adult say. I feel like our discussions could be quite fruitful. Would you mind talking with me again?”

“Fine by me,” He said. 

“AKECHI!” A familiar voice shouted out. 

He twisted around to see Sensei waving and walking toward them. He glanced over to see Akechi’s face brighten up slightly. 

“Narukami,” Akechi said with a wave. 

“I was glad that I was able to catch you before you left. The train was running a little bit behind. I was worried that I would miss you,” Sensei said. 

“I told that you didn’t have to come.” 

“Ahh…that conversation again. I believe that I ended it with pancakes.” 

Akechi laughed softly. 

“Oh, hello, Ren. Came to watch the tv show?” Sensei asked. 

“Social studies field trip,” He mumbled. 

“Ahh…I don’t miss those. Although in college, they turn them into educational experiences.”

Akechi looked from him to Sensei. 

“Do you know each other?” Akechi asked. 

“I am his tutor…well…more like his group tutor. Ann’s parents hired me since she was having trouble in English. I found Ann works best in a group environment. So…group tutoring,” Sensei said smoothly. 

_Wow…he said that off the top of his head._

He wasn’t going to lie…that was impressive. 

“And you talk about me being busy. Hmmm…” Akechi said thoughtfully. Akechi rubbed his chin with a slight smile on his face.

“You caught me red handed,” Sensei said with a laugh. 

“Hey, man…thanks for…uhhh,” Ryuji said as he ran toward them and then stopped. He looked to him then Akechi and then Sensei. He had this confusion expression on his face. He was right there with him. 

“Hello…uh…” 

Sensei smiled. 

“Hello, Ryuji. Akechi and I are about to have some pancakes. You two are welcome to come along. The bill is on me.”

“Uhh….” Ryuji said as he looked at him. 

“Sure, why not? Especially if you are paying….” He said. 

“I don’t turn down free food,” Ryuji added. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Akechi said.

“I remember you paid for our sushi trip. Beside, I can pay for this one,” Sensei said.

“You are too good of a friend.”

“Well, that is settled. Let get moving, huh?”

He nodded as they started walking toward the exit. 

It was strange. He saw people trying to approach Akechi then stop in their tracks. Sensei would smile at them and wave. The poor people couldn’t help but wave back when he did. Sensei was totally defecting any fans from approaching Akechi. 

Akechi didn’t seem to notice…if he did, he didn’t say anything. 

_Can we be like him when we grow up?_

He almost agreed with Hua-Po beside the fact that Akechi was their possible man in the black mask.

“Can those two be more boring? I thought that those two were talk about something exciting instead of that…!” Ryjui said. 

“I know but I don’t think that Akechi wants to talk about his cases all day,” He said. 

“I know but man…cooking!” 

They filed into the Pancake Palace and got a seat near the back where Sensei and Akechi continue to talk about cooking. 

“Pasta isn’t that hard especially Gyudon,” Sensei said in amusement. 

“Apparently, for me, I turned it into a mess,” Akechi said with a laugh. 

“When you have a day off, I am going to teach you how to cook something easy. Perhaps, a stir fry?”

“You can try, my friend. I will always be a prisoner to convenience store meals.”

“Man, me too especially the one down from the arcade. It has the best Fried Karaage,” Ryuji added. 

“Really? I find the best Bento sets at the convenience store in the subway,” Akechi added.

“I passed that every day…I didn’t know that. Have you tried Egg Sandwich at…” 

He felt like that he fell into alternate universe as he listened to Ryuji and Akechi talk about convenience store meals even after they ordered and the food set at their table. He glanced over at Sensei, who looked amused as he ate his pancakes. 

Morgana was busy mumbling about stupid idiots. 

“You know, I make pretty good curry and he talks about Mochifuwa Pancake like it is best thing ever. I guess that I am just making curry for Ann and Yusuke now,” He said to Sensei. 

“The same…I guess that I am making lasagna for myself now. Of course, I could make for you and the others. Have you tried lasagna before?” Sensei said with a grin. 

He almost laughed at Ryuji and Akechi’s horrified expressions. He watched as Sensei covered his mouth with his hand…probably to stop laughing. 

“Dude, you wouldn’t…” 

“Yu….”

“I don’t believe I have. What is it?” He said….trying to keep a straight face.

“It is an Italian dish but there are different varieties to the dish. I like to play around with it. Akechi and my other friend, Teddie like it more with a lot of cheese. A few of my other friends like the meatier version. A few like it with more vegetables. Now…if I was making arroz con leche….” 

“That sounds delicious.” 

It really did. 

“No, it doesn’t…it probably tastes like shoes,” Morgana mumbled. 

“It is! I am quite fond of those little rolls as well…what are they called again?” Akechi said. 

“Swiss Rolls but I don’t like to make them as sweet as the American version,” Sensei said. 

“Man…I know! Sensei and Ren should totally cook for us! It will be great. You should totally come too, Akechi,” Ryuji said in excitement. 

“I…I….,” Akechi said in shock. 

“I like it how we aren’t even asked to cook,” Sensei said with a smile. 

“I know. We could say no.” 

“We could. Imagine if we left them to cook.” 

“It would be terrible.” 

“Truly…but…I suppose that I could use that as a reward if you do well on your exams,” 

“Aww…man,” Ryuji said. 

“I think that it is a good reward,” He said. 

_You two are trolling these boys so badly. I am almost proud of you._

He wasn’t going to stick his tongue at Cu Chulainn…but he thought about it. 

Ryuji’s phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket. 

“Man…I got to go…but this was fun. We have to do it again,” Ryuji said as he got up from the booth. 

“Yes, this was enjoyable,” Akechi said. 

Ryuji waved as he left. Sensei got up from his place. 

“I’m going to pay and go to bathroom,” Sensei said as he left to head to the bathroom. 

Akechi looked over at him. 

“I enjoy today. It was insightful,” Akechi said. 

“I expect you have a list of new meals to try,” He said.

Akechi laughed. 

“Yes, I do. I look forward to more insight from you and the others,” He said. 

It hit him like the others. 

_I am thou, thou art I._  
Thou hast acquired a new vow.  
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh  
Thy chains of captivity.   
With the birth of the Justice persona.  
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom  
And new powers. 

Akechi’s phone rang too. He sighed as he took it out of his pocket and looked at it. 

“Duty calls. I do tell Yu that I had to leave. Of course, I will text him the message as well,” Akechi said as he got up to leave. 

“Of course,” He said with a nod. He watched as Akechi left. Few minutes later, Sensei returned. 

“I see everyone left,” Sensei said. 

“Yes, Akechi and Ryuji received calls and had to leave.” 

“I suppose that I should take the hint to get going,”

“I suppose so but I do have a question.” 

“What do I need to work on in school?

He really hoped that Sensei got the hint. Unlike Ryuji, he had some sense. 

Sensei took a seat and stared at him for a moment. 

“You hesitant. It is brief but I caught it every time.”

He jolted for a moment. He didn’t think anyone notice.

“He doesn’t hesitant at all! I don’t know what you are talking about,” Morgana said in the bag.

_Interesting. He is right._

I know. 

“Why do you say that?” 

“At first, I thought that it just how you work. Different schools have different ways, of course,” 

In other words, different persona users have different powers and different ways to use those powers. 

“But the more that I watch, the more I saw it. I am not sure if you are unsure of yourself…or your pe…choices that you have on hand. I plan to work on your confident in and outside of school.” 

He felt it in his head again…Two in one day….

_I am thou, thou art I._  
Thou hast acquired a new vow.  
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh  
Thy chains of captivity.   
With the birth of the World persona.  
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom  
And new powers. 

“…it’s begins,” Sensei said.

He jolted out of his thoughts and stared at Sensei, who had a small smile on his face. 

“Sensei?”

“Sorry…I said that we should begin soon. So, we have time before exams.” 

Sensei’s smile grew…like he knew what just happened. 

Sensei remind him a lot of Igor. 

He didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. 

End of the Pancakes

Next Chapter: The Session

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One of the things that bother me about Persona 5 is the relationship between Akechi and the Persona 5 crew. You suppose to care about this guy at the end but I felt nothing. There was no real relationship between the crew. So, as a writer, I decided to do something about it. Yes, at this point, some events will change. I also didn’t know that fact in Persona 4: Golden. The more you know…Anyway, thank you for the reviews, kudo, the favorites…you guys are awesome! Read and review if you wish.


	23. The Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rean and Yu have a conversation about everything over a nice sparring session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter is unbetaed.

"Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach."

― Aristotle

"I heard that you are tutoring now," Rean said with the strike of his sword against his.

"Yes. It is a group of them from a local high school. One of them had a problem and it snowballed from there," Yu said as he pulled Rean's sword away from his.

"What are the subjects?"

"History…math…Probably, English too if I judge by their notes."

"Wow…someone is going to busy."

"Says the guy who jumped to help to the Class President every chance they get."

"She doesn't do it on purpose!"

He laughed at his friend.

"Not everyone was happy that I was tutoring them."

"Oh?"

_"Why is he here again?!" Morgana said angrily._

_"He was right about last time. So, I want his help to be better," Ann said._

_"I can help you too! I don't know why you need some…"_

_Ann gave Morgana a look and he instantly shut up._

_Huh…interesting…_

_"Okay, we can start now," Ann said as she turned to him._

_He nodded._

_"Give me a moment," He said as he turned away from the others. He walked to his shadow friends were nearby watching them._

_"You came back early!" Lilim said._

_"Yes, they needed some help. I am going to your help," He said as he kneed in front of them._

_"Of course, man," Incubus said._

_"HEE HOO!" Black Frost said._

_"I need to you watch out for any shadows while I train, okay?" He asked._

_"Okay!"_

_"Hee Hoo!"_

_"Is that dangerous, man?" Incubus asked._

_"There is always a danger to these sorts of things."_

_"Hmmm…OH! Here!" Incubus said with a smile. He handed him another card._

_"Thank you. You know…I am not sure what to do with these cards."_

_"You will figure it out, Sensei! You are smart."_

_He examined the card carefully. He knew the back of the card well. It was something that he saw in the Velvet Room and the back of his own cards. The face of the card was different. The image was different from his cards. The background was black with a single bolt of lighting cutting through it._

_Ziodyne_

_You are getting quite a collection, kid._

_It seemed so. There are different from my other cards. I am guessing that this is your doing?_

_The persona grumbled._

_He sighed softly when the persona didn't say anything else._

_Maybe, if he took him to the tv world that he would be more willing to talk to him there._

_Something to think about later. He put the card into his pocket and turned to Ann._

_"Come here, An…sorry, Panther."_

"Ann?"

"Yes…she approached me first. She is smart. I think that her biggest obstacles are her self-doubt and she keep second guessing herself."

"That will do you in during exams."

"Truly."

_"Yes, Sensei?" Ann said as she approached him._

_"Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your persona."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Persona by definition is a projection or a mask that we wear for the world."_

_"Uhh…"_

_He scratched the back of his head._

_"I am going to have to explain that better. My persona is…how do I describe him. He is a watcher. He is aloof from the world…some may even describe him as cold. In reality, he is a big softie."_

_He grinned at Izanagi as he groaned. The other personas laughing or giggling._

_"But…you aren't like that, Sensei."_

_"Before my persona, I moved around a lot. So many places and new faces all of the time. At first, I would try…then as I got older, I thought to myself…what was the point? I am just going to move again. It was lonely. I was lonely. I realize speaking those words to my parents meant nothing until now."_

_"What happened?"_

_"I found friends and a family. Now…enough about me. Tell me about you. If makes it easier, your persona."_

_"She…Carmen is in charge…She takes no crap from anyone. If she doesn't break you, she bend you to her will. Uhh….I am kind of like her. I am not as brazen but I do speak my mind."_

_"She is also hot!" Skull shouted._

_"SKULL!" Ann said as she turned to Skull._

_"If makes you feel better, you aren't too bad looking yourself."_

_"SKULL!"_

_He shook his head as Ann and Mona shouted at Skull. He laughed then he put his hand gently on Ann's shoulders. He didn't want her to lose focus._

_"Now…tell me what Carmen just said."_

_Ann jerked._

_"How did you…?"_

_"I know. Mine can be quite chatty."_

_High Pixie giggled inside of his head._

_"I didn't hear everything but…she said that Skull is a typical man lead by his…"_

_"Okay…Okay…I get the idea. Now, close your eyes and focus on her voice." He said with a smile._

_"Okay…Okay…" Ann said as she closed her eyes._

_"Your element is fire, correct?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I want you to focus on casting fire spell. Remember to listen to Carmen's voice."_

_He stepped away and watched as Ann closed her eyes and touched her mask. He could see fire grow from Carmen' finger tips._

_"Release when you are ready."_

_Few seconds later, a ball of fire hit the wall._

_"ooooo…." Lilim said as she clapped._

_"Impressive but you lost focus toward the end. Try again."_

_"Okay…I…."_

_Ann and Carmen let out another fire ball._

_Okay…he is going to have to change it up._

_"Okay, I am going to try something else. I want you and Carmen to listen to my voice."_

"So, did it work? The guided meditation?" Rean said.

"A little bit." He said.

_A huge ball of fire hit the wall and left a black mark._

_The shadows and the other thieves clapped._

_"WOW!" Lilim shouted._

_"That is most impressive," Fox said._

_"Hee Hoo," Black Frost said as he went over to give Ann a high five. Ann giggled as she gave a high five right back._

_"Right on, sis," Incubus said._

_"That was totally awesome," Ryuji said._

_He grinned slightly at Ann's excitement._

_"Very good, Ann. You made the first step. We will continue to work on your focus and then bring into combat situations. But that is for later, for now, I am very proud of you."_

_Ann beamed then bowed._

_"Okay, Skull. You're next."_

"Really? A paper ball?"

Actually, it was a form ball but he didn't want to say that.

"Ann suggested a water ball."

Rean chuckled.

"That was nicer than my Master," Rean said.

"What did he hit you with? A stick?" He asked.

"His walking stick."

"Ouch."

"It wasn't too bad. The water ball sound kind of mean."

"It would get his attention."

Rean laughed.

_"Sensei!" Ryuji shouted as he got hit with a form ball again._

_"Yes? Thank you." He said as Incubus brought back the ball. Incubus beamed before going back to his spot._

_"Shadows aren't going to throw balls at me."_

_"No, they will be throwing worse at you. You know that as well I. They are ruthless."_

_That got Ryuji's attention. He really didn't want to do this but he might have to._

_"Black Frost? Can you come here for a moment?"_

_"Hee Ho!"_

_Black moved from his spot to him._

_"Freeze the ball if you please," He said._

_"Sensei?" Ryuji said._

_"Do you think that is wise?" Yusuke said._

_"Wise…perhaps, not. Necessary…yes. Start again, Skull. Hit the wall."_

_Ryuji looked nervous toward him then he turned away. He and his persona hit with a weak physical attack. He turned his attention to Black Frost._

_"Freeze it."_

_He leaned over and Black Frost touched the ball in his hand. He felt the coldness seep into the ball and hand._

_"Thank you."_

_He began to circle around Ryuji as he continued to attack the wall. He could tell that he was still nervous. He just has to wait until the right moment. He watched as Ryuji got a little bit more comfortable._

_Without warning, he threw the ball. Ryuji must have paid enough attention for him to move out of the way._

_Barely…_

_The ball hit the wall and broke into a million pieces._

_He grinned._

_"Good job, Skull!"_

_Ryuji looked like that he was about to have a heart attack._

_Well…one way of getting the job done._

_"Damn…"_

_He clapped his hands._

_"Okay…Mona is next!"_

"Morgana was the hardest one."

"Really? I thought that he would be the easiest. How you describe him…he sounded really smart."

"Smart but hardest one."

"What did you have to do?"

"Well…"

_"No, I am not going next. I don't need your training," Morgana said angrily._

_"Mona…Sensei is being nice to train us," Ann said._

_"No! We don't need him!"_

_"I think that we do," Ren said._

_Morgana gave Ren an angry look._

_"No! To him! It is some type of game!"_

_Those words slammed into his head. It has been years since he heard those words from a different mouth. He rose his hand to stop his shadow friends from reacting. He needed to do this._

_High Pixie hissed._

_Mot grumbled and moaned._

_Game! Game! That insolent cat! I will rip off his skin and wear it as a coat._

_Silence. Let him handle this._

_Izanagi's words made the others quiet down._

_He debated about what to do about Morgana._

_Teddie…he could talk to and he would listen to him. Yosuke…after the whole punching thing, he could talk to him as well._

_He even asked Ren what he could do with Morgana once he told him what he was doing wrong in battle._

_Ren sighed and said Morgana would avoid him if he pressed. Then he told Ren his plan…well…_

_He was going to press him…he was going to have to break him._

_"A game?"_

_"Yes! You think that you could walk right in and change how we do things. You know nothing about this world and you think that you can train us. Ha! Don't make me laugh. TV world is probably nothing but…"_

_"Again…you refuse to see the truth. You allow your fears to blind you. Perhaps, even protect you. I will show some of the truth…," He said as he unbuttoned his shirt._

_"The tv world is unyielding and merciless. It burns, bruises, cuts and breaks." He said as he turned around to show the other the scar along his back. He didn't like to show it often. It tended to upset Teddie and strangely enough his uncle._

_He heard Ann's and Lilim's grasps._

_"Holy shit," Ryuji said._

_"My word.." Yusuke said._

_He pulled back up shirt and rebutton it. He turned back around to see Morgana trembling._

_He was staring at him with this look but his eyes were telling him a different story._

_Fear…_

_"That is not…nothing! He probably…got that from…I know…an accident! Yes, accident!" Morgana said in a panic._

_He was going to have to push a little bit more…_

_He walked over to his bag and pulled out his sword. Slowly, he removed the sheath from the blade._

_"This is Tsubaki-Otoshi. I found it in Yomotsu Hirasaka. Right before my fight with Izanami-no-Okami," He said as he stared at the blade._

_It was still in good condition. When he goes home again, he was going to have the blacksmith check it over him._

_Just in case…_

_Always just in case._

_"Wait a minute…you fought against a god!" Ryuji said in surprise._

_"Yes. It is the same weapon that I will be fighting you with," He said calmly._

_His personas exploded in his head. Almost enough to make him pause._

_ARE YOU CRAZY?_

_INSANITY!_

_Foolish child._

_ENOUGH!_

_Izanagi's voice cut them like lightening._

_"What?! You can't take me on! You don't have a persona." Morgana said with a smug look on his face._

_He stared at Morgana for a long moment. His smug expression turned into a frown._

_"Aren't you going to stop him?" Yusuke asked._

_"No…this is Morgana's issue with Sensei. We have let Morgana straighten it out," Ren said._

_"Then you have the advantage. Let's see if you use it. Now…I am willing to make a one-time deal with you."_

_"Oh?"_

_"If you win the fight, I will leave and never come back. If I win, you are off the team."_

_"What?! You have no persona. You can't help them!"_

_"I will learn and adapt. It can't be that hard."_

_"It can't be that hard?!"_

_"Do you accept?" He said as he cut Morgana off._

_"I accept," Morgana said with his head held high._

_"The rules are simple. The first one to submit, wins. No one will get involve until one of us submit. Understand the rules?"_

_"Yes."_

_He threw the sheath away from him and got into fighting position. Briefly, Morgana got into a fighting stance before he started to focus._

_"Zorro! Lucky punch!"_

_He saw Morgana's persona appear behind him. Well…he definitely looked like a Zorro. His persona left out a lucky punch which he easily moved out of the way. Quickly, he rushed toward Morgana. He watched as Morgana panicked a little before he moved out of the way._

_He knew that he couldn't out run or get within striking distance of Morgana. He was fast. No, he was going to have to wait for Morgana to come to him._

_The attack might hurt a little._

_He back away when Morgana moved away. Morgana looked like that he was about to use his persona again._

_"Gurala!"_

_That is what he was waiting for…_

_He swung his sword and stuck it into the ground. He gripped the blade hard as he could as the wind attack hit him._

_"AWWW!" Morgana screamed toward him._

_For thieves, they make a lot of noise._

_He lifted his right arm to defend himself. He bit his lip when he felt Morgana's claws cut into his clothes and skin. He let go of his blade handle and grabbed Morgana's bandana. Morgana let out scream when he slammed him into the ground. He used one hand to hold him in place while he grabbed his blade and pressed the blade against Morgana's neck._

_"Yield," He said as he stared at Morgana, who was struggling against his blade._

_"No!"_

_"Yield."_

_"No, I won't!"_

_He saw the panic on Morgana's face. He was utterly terrified. The tears were rolling down Morgana's face._

_"Yield."_

_"No. No. Nonononono."_

_"Yield."_

_"Please…don't make me yield. I don't want to."_

_"Why won't you yield?"_

_"Because I don't want to leave! I…I…I don't want to be kicked off the team. I…I…"_

_"That isn't enough. Why, Morgana?"_

_"I…I…I don't want to be alone again! I like being usefulness and needed! And…and…"_

_"With me here, you are afraid of…?"_

_"I am afraid that I wouldn't be useful anymore. I won't be a part of the team anymore…"_

_"Oh, Mona…that isn't true at all," Ren's voice said behind him._

_He removed the blade from Morgana's neck and let him up. He made a face with the sudden pain to his arm. He looked down at the deep cuts along his arm._

_He was going to feel that tomorrow._

_He moved away from the group to allow them to talk. His shadow friends instantly surrounded him as he leaned against a pillar._

_"Man, that was amazing," Incubus said._

_"Sensei! You are hurt!" Lilim said._

_"I have a first aid kit in my bag. Would you get them for me?" He said as he took a seat._

_"Yes, Sensei."_

_"Hee Hoo?" Black Frost said as he touched his arm._

_He smiled a little as Black Frost numb the pain._

_"Thank you," He said as he patted Black Frost's head._

_"Joker is right, man. You are one of us. Who cares if you don't know everything," Ryuji said as he scratched his head._

_"As you notice, we don't either…" Ren said with a smile._

_"That is right. Beside, aren't we trying to figure out this whole thing together," Ann said._

_"And get your memories back," Yusuke said._

_"You guys…," Morgana said before bursting into tears._

_He smiled softly. Morgana needed this._

_Lilim returned with his first aid kit. He opened it and grabbed a pair of scissors. He was probably going to have to cut the shirt off._

_He sighed…he liked this shirt._

_"Sensei! You're hurt!" Ann's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the other rushed toward him._

_"Here…let me heal you." Morgana said as he called his persona and casted a healing spell._

_He watched as the cuts become smaller and smaller until they were gone. He moved his arm around a bit._

_"Good as new. Thank you, Mona," He said with a smile._

_Morgana bowed._

_"I am very sorry for my behavior, Sensei. It won't happen again."_

_"I wanted to realize that you aren't alone, Mona. Not anymore."_

_"I know…I know…it just hard, sometimes."_

_"Sometimes, it is…I am sure that the others will be more than happy to teach you that particular lesson."_

_"Uh…Sensei…?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I am not kicked off the team, am I?"_

_"Of course, not."_

_You have balls of steel, kid._

_What do you expect? A warrior is nothing but a gambler in a suit of armor._

"Wow…you did that?" Rean said.

"I am impressed that it worked too. Morgana was a hard case to crack," He said.

"Will the two of you stop talking like a pair of old ladies and fight?" Junais shouted from the stands.

"Go, Sensei!" Teddie shouted from the stands.

"Go, Rean!" Elliot shouted with Teddie.

He laughed.

"Shall we?"

"I think we shall."

End of the Session

Next chapter: The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One of my original thoughts for this fic: what was I going to do with Mona? I always thought that the other thieves sort adapted themselves around Mona's behaviors and even excuse some of his behavioral flaws. Yu, on the other hand, would not…could not excuse those behaviors especially when it put himself of the others in danger. So, this chapter was basically Yu punching Mona in the face to knock some sense into him. As for The World Ranks, I haven't quite figure out what they are. I know Yu will be unlock like Akechi (when he joins the team). As always thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc, I am always graceful. Your reviews are insightful. So, read and review if you wish!


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